1. No category

PROPHECIES OF THE NEW
CREATION
Reconciling the Old & New Testaments for the Millennial Reign of
Messiah and Beyond
And He shall send Jesus Christ, who before was proclaimed to
you, whom Heaven truly needs to receive until the times of
restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of
His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3: 20-21)
…having made known to us the mystery of His will, according
to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, for an
administration of the fullness of times, to head up all things in
Christ, both the things in Heaven, and the things on earth, even
in Him… (Ephesians 1: 9-10)
…because He has appointed a day in which He is going to judge
the world in righteousness by a Man whom He appointed,
having given proof to all by raising Him from the dead.
(Acts 17: 31)
When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly. The
earth and all its people are melting away; I hold up its pillars.
Selah.
(Psalm 75: 2-3)
Author’s Note .......................................................................................................................... 1
Foreword - The Background to this Book .......................................................................... 2
Introduction - A Neglected Subject .................................................................................... 3
Part 1 - The Favoured Few.................................................................................................... 7
Our Nature ........................................................................................................................ 8
Our Reward .....................................................................................................................14
Our Character .................................................................................................................19
Our Activity .....................................................................................................................30
Part 2 - God’s New World Order........................................................................................38
Our God Reigns...............................................................................................................39
David and the Throne .....................................................................................................50
Israel and Judah Reunited ...............................................................................................55
Israel the Head of the Nations .........................................................................................59
Part 3 - Creation is Redeemed ............................................................................................70
Pure Knowledge..............................................................................................................72
Healing Waters from Jerusalem ......................................................................................76
Jerusalem Most High .......................................................................................................81
New Heaven and Earth...................................................................................................92
Conclusion - Boldness in the Day of Judgment ........................................................... 100
Paradise ........................................................................................................................ 107
Appendix - The Fate of the Wicked
Hell and the Lake of Fire........................................................................................... 110
The Great Tribulation ................................................................................................ 112
Eternal Fire ................................................................................................................. 114
Everlasting Destruction ............................................................................................ 117
It is Finished ................................................................................................................ 118
Beyond the Millennium ............................................................................................ 120
1
It is likely that you will come away from this book having to reassess some, if not many,
of your current presuppositions and beliefs about the Millennium and the New Creation.
I have certainly had to change my own stance on many issues as a result of researching
this vast subject. What I would recommend is that you read through this book twice, so
that on the second pass you are able to explore with fresh insight the many scriptures
that have been gathered together. Indeed there is so much richness in many of these
scriptural passages, that in order to provide a flowing explanation for the subject as a
whole, a full commentary on each passage was not feasible. Yet I believe that I have
included every scriptural passage that speaks of the world to come, so it is my hope and
prayer that the Holy Spirit will reveal all the manifest details to you.
What’s more, there are still some grey areas that I have not been able to elucidate, and
as such I do not claim to have dogmatically established every aspect regarding the future
of God’s creation. The Holy Spirit must be your guide in all that I have written. But I
do hope that this book will clear away many of the unscriptural views of what to expect
after the return of Yahshua Ha’Mashiach (Jesus Christ in the original Hebrew), at least
by making the body of believers more aware of what the Bible has to say in this most
important area of eschatology.
Now, I have chosen to refer to our Saviour by His original Hebrew name of Yahshua.
This is simply a preference to recognise the name that He was given, which in Hebrew
means, “Yahweh saves”. This name was transliterated to Iesous in the Greek language
and then to Jesus in the English. However, I have retained the name “Jesus” within the
Biblical text simply because it is a name that many relate to on a personal level. This is
also true with the Greek term “Christ”, but within my own words I have chosen to use
the Hebrew term “Messiah” (which likewise means “anointed one”) as a reminder of
our Hebrew heritage and identification with the saints of the past. Yet our Saviour has
many titles and we are told that He will also be given a new name ( Revelation 3:12), so
the only issue of real concern is that we understand that which does not change, which
is the character of our God as revealed in His Word.
Regarding the Father’s name, many modern translations of the Bible simply use the
word “LORD”, which is not a name but a title. “LORD” is a substitute for the name of
God, which in some Bibles is transliterated as “Jehovah”. Because the Hebrew alphabet
does not include vowels, the most accurate rendering of His name in the English
alphabet is YHVH; this is thus the name that I have included in scriptural quotes within
this volume in order to better honour our Creator and retain the integrity of scripture.
Outside of the scriptural text I have utilised the name of “Yahweh”, which some believe
is the closest approximation of how the name is to be pronounced.
On a final note, whilst the majority of scriptural quotes in this book are taken from the
MKJV, I usually don’t make a note of which version I have used simply because we
should not be elevating any one translation above the word of God itself.
2
Pick up a commentary on the Book of Job, and you will often find that the author
mentions in his introduction that he was warned by other Christians that studying and
teaching upon this book always leads to a great deal of suffering for the writer himself
during the course of the project, evidently so that he can truly appreciate the subject
which he is writing about. Well the same appears to have been true in the writing of this
book on the new creation; in order to appreciate that I am just a pilgrim on this earth
whilst awaiting a better fatherland and a heavenly city (Hebrews 11:13-16), my work on
this book began when I had almost become homeless and was required to move into a
relative’s one bedroom apartment, and was concluded some months later whilst living
in a B&B with no sure prospect of being able to provide for myself in the days and
weeks ahead. As such, I was perfectly positioned to be meditating on the world to come.
The desire to study and write about the new creation, especially the Millennial period
when our Saviour will rule in His physical kingdom for a thousand years, had already
lain on my heart for three years before a start on this book was made. In hindsight I can
see that the time to begin never seemed right during those years because I would never
have been able to do the subject justice without learning other related key truths during
that time.
This divine burden was in itself the development of a personal revelation that had come
to me some two years earlier still, when at that time I was led to display God’s present
creation through means of photography in association with quotes from His eternal
word. This resulted in an online gallery of images to highlight the glory of His current
creation. But this was just to be a prelude to the study of the new creation.
It is through creation that we witness perhaps the greatest attribute of God, which is His
desire to bring about rebirth. EVERY DAY we see this as the light fades into darkness
and then returns to light again, as God raises the sun (from our perspective of course)
for a fresh attempt at living life the way He intends for us. EVERY MONTH we observe
the moon waning into darkness before waxing again into brightness, as it purifies itself
in the light of the sun. EVERY YEAR the decay of autumn is covered over by the fresh
snows of winter that proceed to wash away the filth of this world when spring arrives
to declare new life for all. And in one of the most miraculous events of God’s creation,
we see the transformation of a despised and helpless little earth-dweller (the caterpillar)
that imprisons itself, but is then liberated for a new and transformed existence when it
is touched by both the sun and the waters of life. It is in this mould that we seek to be
reborn ourselves, to gain freedom from the bondage of sin and death through His Spirit,
and to inherit eternal glory in the resurrection to come when the Sun of Righteousness
arises with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2).
The current natural world is in a fallen state, but wherever we look, it speaks to us of
redemption. Yet it is only in the pages of God’s written word that we learn the full
significance and power of the long-suffering of God, and the plan that He has for us in
this world and in the new creation that follows.
3
In the past few decades there have been innumerable books written on the subject of
the prophetic end times, but few if any publications have focused to any great deal on
the glorious new creation that these times give birth to. The reasons for this disparity
could be many, and it is not for me to judge the hearts and intentions of other believers
in the faith. But the root cause of this one-sided focus on end-time events is likely due
to the fact that the natural man delights in the sensationalism of cataclysmic events; it
appeals to the darker side of human nature and it therefore sells to the widest possible
audience. This is not to say that the authors of such books are motivated by money, but
rather that an increasingly worldly-minded church determines by market forces what
appears on our bookshelves, which in turn leads to imbalanced books on prophecy.
Unfortunately, few Christians are looking for and living in anticipation of the new
creation, which is the main purpose of prophecy.
2 PETER 3: 10-14
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away
with a rushing noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works
in it will be burned up. Then, all these things being about to be dissolved, what sort ought you
to be in holy behaviour and godliness, looking for and rushing the coming of the Day of God,
on account of which the heavens, being on fire, will melt away, and the elements will melt,
burning with heat? But according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in
which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking for these things, be diligent, spotless,
and without blemish, to be found by Him in peace.
This book thus hopes to address the imbalance in prophecy circles. As children of God,
we should be spiritually and not carnally-minded, only taking note of end-times
prophecies regarding the end of this present evil world in order to motivate us for living
in the world that follows.
MARK 13: 28-37
And learn the parable of the fig-tree: when her branch is still tender and puts out leaves,
you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, you know
that it is near, at the doors. Truly I say to you that this generation shall not pass away until all
these things occur. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away. But
of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.
Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. As a man going away, leaving
his house, and giving authority to his servants, and each man's work to him, and commanded
the doorkeeper to watch. Then you watch, for you do not know when the lord of the house is
coming, at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or early; lest he come suddenly and find
you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all. Watch.
REVELATION 16: 15
Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his garments,
lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
4
End-times prophecies are not in the Bible to provide titillation, but to act as wake-up
calls and sober reminders of what we are truly living for. So often I hear that we are
living in exciting times, but I beg to differ; we are living in increasingly dark and
sorrowful times as we watch billions heading further into corruption and see grievous
judgments coming upon the earth. Apart from the internal joy of our salvation and the
Spirit-led sharing of the Gospel, there is increasingly little delight to be had in these
times.
AMOS 5: 18-20
Woe to those desiring the day of YHVH! What is this for you? The day of YHVH is darkness
and not light; as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and
leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him. Shall not the day of YHVH be darkness and not
light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?
Certainly we are to desire the coming of our King, as Peter tells us, but for the purpose
of His eternal Kingdom being established, not for judgment and wrath upon the
disobedient; for the sake of whom the Lord continues to defer His coming.
2 PETER 3: 9
The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering
toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The truly exciting times are to be found in the new creation, when God will dwell on
the earth and righteousness will reign! Until then, much grief lies ahead if we truly care
about the people around us; grief that will help us to understand the heart of God and
be conformed to His image (Jonah 4: 10-11).
Now some believe that it is important to understand end-times events so that we can
prepare for them in material ways, but there is nothing in scripture to suggest this, rather
the direction is to pursue greater godliness. This is our responsibility and should be our
sole focus, as Peter pointed out. We are to deliver all concern for our material wellbeing to the One Who made us and Who continues to provide for us.
MATTHEW 6: 30-34
Therefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven, will He not much rather clothe you, little-faiths? Therefore do not be anxious,
saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? For the
nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all
these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall
be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious
for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it.
Some Christians think it is prudent to get involved in survival training and other such
endeavours to prepare for the calamities and persecutions that lie ahead. But I put
forward the view that this takes our focus away from the true purpose of these trials; to
develop us spiritually and to sanctify the soul. If we are concentrating on preserving our
physical wellbeing, then we miss the point of this transitory lifetime that is only
preparing us for the world to come.
5
JOHN 12: 24-26
Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides
alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life shall lose it. And he who
hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me;
and where I am, there also My servant shall be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honour
him.
MATTHEW 13: 22
And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the Word; and the anxiety of this world,
and the deceit of riches, choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful.
This is particularly important to keep in mind in these final days, when Yahshua is quite
clear as to where our focus should be. A survivalist mentality is not what He is desiring
from us if we are to be fruitful in these times.
LUKE 17: 26-33
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it also shall be in the days of the Son of Man. They
ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah
entered into the ark; and the flood came and destroyed them all. So also as it was in the days
of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but the day Lot
went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them all. Even
so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. In that day he who shall be on the
housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise,
he who is in the field, let him not return to the things behind. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever
shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Besides which, we may find that all the preparations in the world are insufficient for
the unexpectedness of what is to come.
JAMES 4: 13-15
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and
spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will
bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
This is not to say that we should not be good stewards of what we have (Matthew 24:4325:46), but that our material concerns should not extend beyond today. If we are
focusing on our spiritual development then we will not be laying up nest-eggs for some
future safe haven or building emergency stores. We will instead be giving to the work
of the kingdom and those in need. We will entrust all future provision to God as we
continue to work with our eyes set upon heaven, not upon the earth.
LUKE 12: 32-33
Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell
what you have and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which do not become old, an unfailing
treasure in Heaven, where no thief comes nor moth corrupts.
6
Additionally, if we keep our eyes predominantly on the evils to come and don't pay
enough heed to the world to come, then we will fail to contemplate our heavenly riches,
and our hearts will turn hard and cold. This is the tragic state of many Christians today,
as has been long prophesised (2 Timothy 3:1-5, Matthew 24:12). So it is nigh time to focus
primarily on the new creation for which we have been saved; all else will cease when
the ultimate objective of love has been fulfilled.
1 CORINTHIANS 13: 8-13
Charity never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be abolished; if tongues, they shall
cease; if knowledge, it will be abolished. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But
when the perfect thing comes, then that which is in part will be caused to cease. When I was
an infant, I spoke as an infant, I thought as an infant, I reasoned as an infant. But when I became
a man, I did away with the things of an infant. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face
to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall fully know even as I also am fully known. And now
faith, hope, charity, these three remain; but the greatest of these is charity.
Our Nature. Our Reward. Our Character. Our Activity.
7
If we are to set ourselves on living for the world to come, then we should ensure that
we first have the right mindset, recognising that we are just temporary residents on this
current earth; that our life here is simply a journey - a pilgrimage - as we seek after a
better and more virtuous existence that our trials prepare us for.
1 PETER 2: 11
Dearly beloved, I exhort you as temporary residents and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly
lusts which war against the soul…
1 PETER 1: 3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy
has regenerated us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading, reserved in Heaven for you
by the power of God, having been kept through faith to a salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time; in which you greatly rejoice, yet a little while, if need be, grieving in manifold
temptations; so that the trial of your faith (being much more precious than that of gold that
perishes, but being proven through fire) might be found to praise and honour and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ…
1 PETER 4: 12-13
Beloved, do not be astonished at the fiery trial which is to try you, as though a strange
thing happened to you, but rejoice according as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, so that
when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
2 CORINTHIANS 4: 16-17
For this cause we do not faint; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man
is being renewed day by day. For the lightness of our present affliction works out for us a far
more excellent eternal weight of glory…
This message has been around since time immemorial, even since the days of Job, for
God has always been preparing His people (those favoured few who will turn from their
sins and live) for the world to come. Job understood it, Jacob knew it, Yahweh taught
it to Moses, David recognised it, and all the saints of the past lived for it.
JOB 19: 25-26, 23: 10
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall rise on the earth at the last; and even
after they corrupt my skin, yet this: in my flesh I shall see God… But He knows the way that I
take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
GENESIS 47: 8-9
And Pharaoh said to Jacob, How many are the days of the years of your life? And Jacob said
to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years. Few and evil
have been the days of the years of my life, and I have not attained to the days of the years of
the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
LEVITICUS 25: 23
8
The land shall not be sold forever; for the land is Mine. For you are strangers and pilgrims
with Me.
PSALM 39: 12
Hear my prayer, O YHVH, and give ear to my cry. Do not be silent at my tears; for I am a
stranger with You, a pilgrim, as all my fathers were.
HEBREWS 11: 13-16, 24-26
These all died by way of faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar
off. And they were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they who say such things declare plainly that they seek
a fatherland. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from which they came out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they stretch forth to a better
fatherland, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He
has prepared a city for them… Having become great, Moses by faith refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
So knowing this truth, that we are pilgrims on this earth in temporary flesh whilst we
await an inheritance kept in heaven’s store, what then will our inheritance (that is our
glorified resurrected body) be like?
We will shine like the sun and the stars.
DANIEL 12: 2-3
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine as the
brightness of the sky; and those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever
and ever.
MATTHEW 13: 43
Then the righteous shall shine out like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has
ears to hear, let him hear.
Is this a literal light? Though light can be used as a metaphor for the word of God and
its fruitfulness in our lives (as revealed in the book, “The Eternal Gospel of Truth”),
there is no reason to doubt that in the resurrection the physical will be a mirror of the
spiritual, as is the case with our God.
PSALM 104: 1-2
9
Bless YHVH, O my soul. O YHVH my God, You are very great; You have put on honour and
majesty, covering Yourself with light as with a robe; and stretching out the heavens like a
curtain…
MATTHEW 17: 1-2
And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into
a high mountain apart. And He was transfigured before them. And His face shone as the sun,
and His clothing was white as the light.
Our nature will be after our Lord and Saviour whom the prophet Malachi referred to as
the, “Sun of Righteousness.”
MALACHI 4: 2
But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise, and healing will be on
His wings. And you shall go out and frisk like calves of the stall.
We take our nature after Yahshua (Jesus) because we have been regenerated again by
faith through His Resurrection (1 Peter 1:3), becoming co-heirs of everything that He
inherits. So we will find that as we are joined to our Lord in His death (by which we
have our sins atoned for and our righteousness found in Him), we will be raised again
at His return in the likeness of His resurrection.
ROMANS 6: 4-5
Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if
we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His
resurrection…
COLOSSIANS 3: 4, 24
When Christ our Life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory… knowing
that from the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For you serve the Lord Christ.
1 JOHN 3: 2
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be.
But we know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He
is.
ISAIAH 60: 1-3
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of YHVH has risen on you. For behold,
the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but YHVH shall rise on you,
and His glory shall be seen on you. And the nations shall come to your light, and kings to the
brightness of your dawning.
PSALM 17: 15
As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with
Your image.
10
PHILIPPIANS 3: 20-21
For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we are looking for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall change our body of humiliation so that it may be fashioned like His
glorious body, according to the working of His power, even to subdue all things to Himself.
But what will this glorious body be like? Elsewhere, scripture tells us that we will be
as the angels in heaven.
MATTHEW 22: 30
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels
of God in Heaven.
MARK 12: 25
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but
they are as the angels in Heaven.
LUKE 20: 34-36
And answering, Jesus said to them, The sons of this world marry and are given in marriage,
but they who shall be counted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead,
neither marry nor are given in marriage. Nor can they die any more, for they are equal to the
angels, and are the sons of God, being the sons of the resurrection.
At the very least, to be like the angels means that we cannot die anymore.
JOHN 11: 25-26
Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection and the Life! He who believes in Me, though he
die, yet he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?
1 CORINTHIANS 15: 21-28, 35-57
For since death is through man, the resurrection of the dead also is through a Man. For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the
first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ's at His coming; then is the end, when He delivers
the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He makes to cease all rule and all authority and
power. for it is right for Him to reign until He has put all the enemies under His feet. The last
enemy made to cease is death. For He put all things under His feet. But when He says that all
things have been put under His feet, it is plain that it excepts Him who has put all things under
Him. But when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subject to Him
who has subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all things in all… But someone will say,
How are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come? Foolish one! What you sow is
11
not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow the body that is going to be,
but a bare grain (perhaps of wheat or of some of the rest). And God gives it a body as it has
pleased Him, and to each of the seeds its own body. All flesh is not the same flesh; but one kind
of flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another of fish, and another of birds. There
are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly is truly different, and
that of the earthly different; one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another
glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in
glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, "The first man,
Adam, became a living soul," the last Adam was a life-giving Spirit. But not the spiritual first, but
the natural; afterward the spiritual. The first man was out of earth, earthy; the second Man
was the Lord from Heaven. Such the earthy man, such also the earthy ones. And such the
heavenly Man, such also the heavenly ones. And according as we bore the image of the earthy
man, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. And I say this, brothers, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I
speak a mystery to you; we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in
a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and
this mortal must put on immortality. But when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and
when this mortal shall put on immortality, then will take place the word that is written, "Death
is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?" The
sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The angelic body of Christ that we will receive is not of flesh and blood, but it is of
flesh, yet raised in power and glory. It is immortal and incorruptible, thus impervious
to damage or disease. Yet it remains soft and capable of nourishment, as can be seen in
the visit of Yahshua to His disciples and in His promise to return to them again.
LUKE 24: 39, 41-43
Behold My hands and My feet, that I am He! Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have
flesh and bones as you see Me have… And while they still did not believe for joy, and wondered,
He said to them, Have you any food here? And they handed to Him a piece of a broiled fish and
of a honeycomb. And He took it and ate before them.
MATTHEW 26: 29
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I
drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.
Angelic beings eat (Genesis 18:1-8). And we know from Israel’s wanderings in the desert
that there is such a thing as angels’ food.
PSALM 78: 23-25
Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And
had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did
eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.
Of flesh and bones we will be, but not of blood. This invites the question of what vital
organs and life-force systems we will possess. But such knowledge is extraneous
because what truly matters is that we are free from any kind of physical distress; there
will be no cuts, no bruises, no breakages, no aging and of course no death.
12
Of even greater value, and far more pertinent to why we have been saved, is that we
will be free from sin, as the earthly body is replaced by a heavenly body that is energised
and driven by the Spirit of God and not by our current hot-blooded desires (note the
change from present to future tense in the following passage).
ROMANS 8: 11-14
But if the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who
raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells
in you. Therefore, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For
if you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds
of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
EPHESIANS 2: 6-7, 22
…and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,
so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus… in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of
God through the Spirit.
That the perfection of our souls is synonymous with the receiving of our resurrection
bodies is made even clearer from the following passage in which we are told that the
good work of sanctification that Yahshua is working out in us will be complete on the
day that He returns, which has already been shown to be the same day that we take on
His nature.
PHILIPPIANS 1: 6
…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ…
And we cannot enter into the kingdom of God unless we have our own righteousness,
despite having been justified with the righteousness of Christ.
MATTHEW 5: 20
For I say to you that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and
Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
1 CORINTHIANS 6: 9-10
Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers, nor sodomites, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom
of God.
GALATIANS 5: 19-21
Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries,
divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which
I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.
13
LUKE 7: 28
For I say to you, Among those who are born of woman there is not a greater prophet than
John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
MATTHEW 11: 11
Truly I say to you, Among those who have been born of women there has not risen a
greater one than John the Baptist. But the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.
JOB 33: 23-28
If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to declare for man his
uprightness, then He is gracious to him and says, Deliver him from going down to the Pit; for I
have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than in vigour; he shall return to the days of his
youth; he shall pray to God, and He will be gracious to him; and he shall see His face with joy,
for He will restore to man his righteousness. He will observe to men, and say, I have sinned and
perverted righteousness; and it was not equally repaid to me, He has redeemed my soul from
passing over into the Pit, and my life shall see the light.
Thus being justified by the righteousness of Yahshua means that we cannot fail to also
attain our own righteousness when the day of His return finally comes.
ROMANS 8: 28-30
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be
conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers. But
whom He predestinated, these He also called; and whom He called, those He also justified. And
whom He justified, these He also glorified.
And we will retain our righteousness and holiness forever, never to diminish or change.
REVELATION 22: 11, 14-15
He acting unjustly, let him still act unjustly. And the filthy, let him be filthy still. And the
righteous, let him be righteous still. And the holy, let him be holy still. … Blessed are they who
do His commandments, that their authority will be over the Tree of Life, and they may enter in
by the gates into the city. But outside are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and
the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and makes a lie.
EPHESIANS 5: 5, 27
For you know this, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous one (who is an
idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God… that He might present it to
Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be
holy and without blemish.
Thus we will not sin, nor experience shame (note that Israel includes all believers, as
will be explained later in this book).
ZEPHANIAH 3: 14-20
14
For then I will give a clear lip to the people, to call all of them by the name of YHVH, to
serve Him with one shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, My worshipers, the daughter
of My scattered ones, shall bring My food offering. In that day you shall not be ashamed for all
your doings in which you have transgressed against Me; for then I will withdraw from your
midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall never again be proud in My holy mountain.
I will also leave in your midst a poor and weak people, and they shall trust in the name of YHVH.
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies, and a deceitful tongue shall not be
found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
ISAIAH 45: 17
But Israel shall be saved in YHVH with an everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed
nor blush to the forevers of eternity.
2 CORINTHIANS 5: 1-4, 10
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building
from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this we groan,
earnestly desiring to be clothed with our dwelling-place out of Heaven; if indeed in being
clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tabernacle groan, being burdened;
inasmuch as we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed, so that the mortal might be
swallowed up by the life… For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that
each one may receive the things done through the body, according to that which he has done,
whether good or bad.
MATTHEW 6: 19-20
Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where
thieves break through and steal. But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither
moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
Whilst all believers will be a part of the first resurrection and therefore not suffer the
second death (Revelation 2:11), yet individual rewards will vary based on the deeds
worked through faith in a believer’s life. Because all that is not of faith is sin (Romans
14:23), anything that we do which is not in accordance with the Word of God - even if
we think it is for the kingdom of God - will vanish on the Day of Judgment and will not
be considered when the rewards are disseminated to believers.
1 CORINTHIANS 3: 11-15
For any other foundation can no one lay than the one being laid, who is Jesus Christ. And
if anyone builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, each one's
work shall be revealed. For the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the
fire shall try each one's work as to what kind it is. If anyone's work which he built remains, he
shall receive a reward. If anyone's work shall be burned up, he shall suffer loss. But he shall be
saved, yet so as by fire.
15
HEBREWS 12: 22-29
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born
who are written in Heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to blood of sprinkling that speaks
better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not
escape, those who refused him that spoke on earth, much more we shall not escape if we turn
away from Him who speaks from Heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has
promised, saying, "Yet once more I will not only shake the earth, but also the heavens." And
this word, "Yet once more," signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things
that have been made, so that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since
we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve
God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for also, "Our God is a consuming fire."
Although we cannot do anything of faith without Christ (John 15:5), yet the degree to
which we abide in Him and make use of the spiritual empowerment that He offers will
correspond to the rewards received in the new creation. But what are these rewards?
Essentially, they are positions of honour and glory within the Kingdom.
MATTHEW 25: 34
Then the King shall say to those on His right hand, Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
REVELATION 2: 26-28
And he who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, to him I will give power over the
nations. And he will rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter they will be broken
to pieces, even as I received from My Father. And I will give him the Morning Star.
ROMANS 2: 7, 10
…indeed to those who with patience in good work are seeking for glory, and honour, and
incorruptibility, everlasting life… But He will give glory, honour and peace to every man who
works good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
LUKE 19: 12-27
Therefore He said, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom for
himself, and to return. And He called his ten servants and delivered ten minas, and said to them,
Trade until I come back. But his citizens hated him. And they sent a message after him, saying,
We will not have this one to reign over us. And when he had received his kingdom and had
16
returned, then it happened that he commanded these servants to be called to him; the ones
to whom he had given the silver; so that he might know what each had gained by trading. And
came the first, saying, Lord, your mina has gained ten minas. And he said to him, Well done,
good servant, because you have been faithful in a least thing, have authority over ten cities.
And the second came, saying, Lord, your mina has made five minas. And he said the same to
him, You be over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is your mina, which I
have kept in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are a harsh man. You take up what
you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow. And he said to him, I will judge you
out of your own mouth, wicked servant! You knew that I was a harsh man, taking up what I had
not laid down and reaping what I did not sow. And why did you not give my silver on the bank
table, and coming I might have exacted it with interest? And he said to those who stood by,
Take the mina from him and give it to him who has ten minas. And they said to him, Lord, he
has ten minas. For I say to you that to everyone who has, more will be given. And from him who
has not, even that which he has will be taken from him. But those who are my enemies, who
did not desire that I should reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.
As was seen on page 11, in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (15:41), the glory of our
resurrected personages will vary as the stars vary in glory. The more glory we have, the
more authority we will have in the Kingdom. Now just how much the stars vary in glory
can be seen within the following image (you may have to zoom in on this picture to see
the names of the stars from one box to the next – the stars vary so greatly in size that
the scale has to keep adjusting!). The sun (our star) is the third sphere in the third box;
as large as it is compared to the planets (which the pagan gods were named after), it is
one of the smallest stars, though even the smallest star is bigger than the largest planet,
which reveals just how much greater the future glory of even the weakest believer is
compared to the fallen angels who masquerade as gods. No wonder Satan and his
minions hate true believers so.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Star-sizes.jpg
When Paul received this revelation, he was probably only aware of how the stars
differed in brightness in the night sky. He likely had little idea just how much they
varied in glory when the Holy Spirit inspired him to record these words.
17
Now we should also observe that there is a link between faith and humility, which
makes sense when we consider that pride is the most detestable trait in God’s eyes. If
we are to be great in the kingdom of heaven by abiding frequently and consistently in
Christ, then we will exhibit the fruit of humility.
MATTHEW 18: 4
Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the
kingdom of Heaven.
LUKE 14: 11-14
For whoever exalts himself shall be abased, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.
And He also said to him who invited Him, When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your
friends or your brothers, or your kinsmen, or your rich neighbours; lest they also invite you
again, and a recompense be made to you. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the
maimed, the lame, the blind, and you shall be blessed, for they cannot repay you; for you shall
be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
Now the twelve loftiest positions in the Kingdom have already been taken.
MATTHEW 20: 12, 23
And He said to them, You shall indeed drink of My cup and be baptized with the baptism
that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but to
those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.
LUKE 22: 25-30
And He said to them, The kings of the nations exercise lordship over them. And they who
exercise authority on them are called benefactors. But you shall not be so: but the greater
among you, let him be as the lesser, and he who governs, as one who serves. For which is the
greater; he who reclines, or he who serves? Is it not he who reclines? But I am among you as
He who serves. You are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I appoint a kingdom
to you, as My Father has appointed to Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My
kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
MATTHEW 19: 28-29
And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you that you who have followed Me, in the
regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who left houses, or brothers,
or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive
a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
We will see in the next part of this book that Israel becomes the head of all the nations,
so those who rule over the twelve tribes are truly in the loftiest positions. But this should
be no reason to be dismayed, because the love for our Saviour should mean that we
delight only in His glorification. So when we are in our perfect state, we will be just as
happy for others to be exalted above us as we would be for ourselves, and every one of
us will reflect the manifold graces of our Lord and King. And we will be able to rejoice
together in the fruit that has been born out of our individual labours in the Spirit.
JOHN 4: 35-38
18
Do you not say, It is yet four months, and the harvest comes? Behold, I say to you, Lift up
your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white to harvest already. And he who reaps
receives wages and gathers fruit to life eternal, so that both he who sows and he who reaps
may rejoice together. And in this is the saying true, One sows and another reaps. I sent you to
reap that on which you bestowed no labour. Other men laboured, and you have entered into
their labour.
Just being in His presence and in His Kingdom as partakers of the divine nature will be
sufficient to fulfil our holy desire.
PSALM 145: 19-20
He will fulfil the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry, and will save
them. YHVH watches over all those who love Him; but all the wicked He will destroy.
PSALM 84: 9-12
Behold, O God, our shield, and look on the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts
is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than dwell in
the tents of wickedness. For YHVH God is a sun and shield; YHVH will give grace and glory; no
good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O YHVH of Hosts, blessed is the
man who trusts in You.
1 CORINTHIANS 2: 9-10
But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard," nor has it entered into the heart of
man, "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them
to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Through the Spirit, we already have a sense of the glory that awaits, and who can say
that they will be disappointed? Let us take a look at the many honours that our Lord
will bestow upon us.
REVELATION 2:7, 17, 3:5, 12, 21
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes I will give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God… He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will
give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new
name written, which no man knows except he who receives it… The one who overcomes, this
one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life,
but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels… Him who overcomes I will
make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will go out no more. And I will write upon
him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes
down out of Heaven from My God, and My new name… To him who overcomes I will grant to
sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His
throne.
19
No matter what our authoritative rank in the Kingdom, we will still be co-heirs with
Yahshua, sitting on His throne. We may or may not shine as brightly as others, but we
will have the name of God written on our foreheads proclaiming that we belong to Him
as His eternal bride and that we have a place in His eternal home - the New Jerusalem.
It is this city that we should set our hearts upon seeking, for it is the bridal home of our
Lord and King (more information on this later in the book).
HEBREWS 13: 14
For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
HEBREWS 11: 16
But now they stretch forth to a better fatherland, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is
not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
JOHN 14: 2-3
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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.
Having looked at the sinless perfection of the resurrected saints and their standing in
the Kingdom, it is important to examine the current character of those who will take
part in the first resurrection. For there are many who believe that they are forgiven by
God and in line to inherit the first resurrection, when in fact they are not.
LUKE 13: 24-29
Strive to enter in at the narrow gate. For I say to you, many will seek to enter in and shall
not be able. And once the Master of the house has risen up and has shut the door, and you
begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us, and He shall
answer and say to you, I do not know you; from where are you; then you shall begin to say, We
ate and drank in Your presence, and You have taught in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you,
I do not know you; from where you are. Depart from Me, all workers of unrighteousness! There
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all
the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves being thrust out. And they will come from
the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and will recline in the kingdom of
God.
Yahshua will tell those who thought that they were saved simply because of their church
attendance, that He never knew them. Just because they associated themselves with the
people of God and heard His message proclaimed, it does not mean that they had a
personal experience with God by having truly repented and being born again by the
Spirit.
JOHN 3: 3-8
20
Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is
old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly,
truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do
not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. The Spirit breathes where He desires,
and you hear His voice, but you do not know from where He comes, and where He goes; so is
everyone who is born of the Spirit.
How can we know that we have been born again and brought into the family of God?
By obedience to God’s word.
LUKE 8: 21
And He answered and said to them, My mother and My brothers are those who hear the
Word of God and do it.
MATTHEW 12: 50
For whoever shall do the will of My Father in Heaven, the same is My brother and sister
and mother.
1 JOHN 5: 1-3
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who
loves Him who begets also loves him who has been born of Him. By this we know that we love
the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love
of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.
1 JOHN 2: 3-4
And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments. He who
says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him.
Then there are those who believe that they are doing the will of God, but are not.
MATTHEW 7: 14, 21-23
Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way which leads to life, and there are
few who find it… Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord!
Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through
Your name do many wonderful works? And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart
from Me, those working lawlessness!
These people believe that they are operating in the Spirit of God and doing His will,
when in fact they are deceived, either attributing their own delusions or the workings
of Satan to the work of the Holy Spirit. Their prophecies will be false, their casting-outof-devils a sham, and their other “wonderful works” will only be for show because they
have no accordance with His commandments. It is therefore important to note from the
above passage that Yahshua says that they are working “lawlessness.”
21
2 THESSALONIANS 2: 7-12
For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it
comes out of the midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming,
whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth, so that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie, so that all those who do not believe the truth, but
delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.
Paul tells us in his second letter to the Thessalonians that the mystery of lawlessness is
already at work but that it will be given even greater licence to thrive once the man of
sin has arrived on the scene (that is the Antichrist). Whether exposed to this future
strong delusion or the current workings of lawlessness, these people are not known by
Yahshua, because they delight in unrighteousness. The fact that these people do not
believe the truth does not mean that they do not intellectually believe the truth, but that
they do not follow the truth (which is what it truly means to believe, for even the demons
“believe” and tremble – James 2:19).
That these workers of lawlessness do not follow the truth is clear from Yahshua’s words
that, “narrow is the gate and constricted is the way which leads to life.” The Gate is
Yahshua Himself (John 10:7), Who justifies us through His own righteousness and
allows the Spirit of God to dwell in us. So the gate truly is narrow because there is no
other name under heaven that can save (Acts 4:12). But after the gate, the way must still
be followed; a strict path of lawfulness that must be followed with the guidance and
empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This doesn’t mean that one can lose their salvation if
they do not follow the way, simply that those who enter the gate will be predisposed to
follow the way thereafter. Yahshua is not pointing out a prescription for salvation, but
is describing the character of those who are already saved and living in the Spirit. Thus
we can discern those who follow the way from those who follow after lawlessness.
1 JOHN 3: 7-10
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as
that One is righteous. He who practices sin is of the Devil, for the Devil sins from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the Devil.
Everyone who has been born of God does not commit sin, because His seed remains in him,
and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God are revealed,
and the children of the Devil: everyone not practicing righteousness is not of God, also he who
does not love his brother.
So it is important to know what “the way” is, and what is meant by “lawlessness.”
Yahshua referred to Himself as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). But this was
in answer to Philip’s question about how the disciples were to know the way to re-join
Him once He had left them. Yahshua was not speaking in this instance of the need to
be justified by His righteousness, but of the need for us to walk as He walked in order
to follow Him.
22
1 JOHN 2: 5-6
But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know
that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.
And what was the way by which Yahshua walked? He walked according to the law of
God, which He had previously given to His people.
MATTHEW 5: 17-20
Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to
destroy but to fulfil. For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot
or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. Therefore whoever shall relax
one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in
the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great
in the kingdom of Heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of
the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
We have already seen that the great ones in the kingdom of heaven will have both faith
and humility, but now we see that they will also be followers of the Law and will teach
others likewise, just as Yahshua Himself did. This is a hard pill for many in the church
to swallow, because the majority have been taught that the Law was done away with.
Yet Yahshua clearly teaches that this is not so. We must remember that Yahshua was
the true, living, walking manifestation of all the Law and the prophets. He called
Himself the way, the truth, and the life, because this is how the Law is described.
PSALM 119: 1
Blessed are the upright in the way, who walk in the Law of YHVH.
PSALM 119: 142
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is the truth.
PROVERBS 6: 23
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the
way of life…
Thus Paul could say:
GALATIANS 3: 21-22
Is the Law then against the promises of God? Let it not be said! For if a law had been given
which could have given life, indeed righteousness would have been out of Law. But the
Scripture shut up all under sin, so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to
those who believe.
23
The point Paul makes in his letter to the Galatians is that the Law is life assuming that
one can fulfil it, but because only Yahshua could do so we must therefore have His
imputed righteousness. But this does not contradict the rest of scripture which tells us
that the Law is still the way of life, even though it cannot give us life. Judiciously, the
Law condemns us, and thus we need Yahshua’s righteousness. But as a way of life, the
Law sanctifies us.
PSALM 19: 7
The law of YHVH is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of YHVH is sure, making wise
the simple…
1 TIMOTHY 1: 8
But we know that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully…
ROMANS 10: 5 pointing to LEVITICUS 18: 5
For Moses writes of the righteousness which is of the Law, "The man who does those things
shall live by them."
Such verses are lost to their respective contexts if the reader attributes them to
justification. In fact the greatest obstacle to understanding Paul’s words in general is
failing to discern when he is speaking of sanctification as opposed to justification.
Those who have not studied the Law and the prophets but have only dabbled in them
selectively, will find Paul’s writings to be somewhat contradictory. Thus Peter says:
2 PETER 3: 15-17
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote
to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them
of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the
ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You
therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the
error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Paul often speaks about the inability of the law to justify, whilst simultaneously
speaking of its present benefits for whoever continues to “work out their own
salvation.” And in Yahshua Messiah we have the perfect example of how to walk
according to the law, as well as the forgiveness from sins that we all need.
ISAIAH 42: 21
YHVH is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it
honourable.
24
And with the Holy Spirit we are better equipped to follow the law. We see this in the
parable of the foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13); by quenching the Holy Spirit they
prevented Him from writing the law on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33) and so they could
not follow after the Master (Proverbs 6:23 above). No Spirit, no lamp, no glory.
PROVERBS 13: 9
The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
HOSEA 4: 6-7
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I
reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also
will forget your children. The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will
change their glory into shame.
PROVERBS 3: 35
The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
PROVERBS 28: 9
If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
2 CHRONICLES 7: 14-15
…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal
their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this
place.
As we read earlier in Luke 13, there will be those who will say to the Lord, “You have
taught in our streets,” as though in some way by simply hearing the word of God they
are justified before Him. But because they were not doers of the Word, Yahshua will
say that He never knew them. They will have allowed the evil one to snatch away that
word which was sown in their hearts (Matthew 13:19) The apostle James therefore
exhorted followers of Yahshua to keep the law of God by being doers of the Word.
JAMES 1: 22
But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
JAMES 4: 11
Do not speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against his brother, and who
judges his brother, speaks against the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, you
are not a doer of the Law, but a judge.
We can see from his words that James expects his hearers to be keeping the law of God,
so it should be no surprise that the apostle Paul also upheld the Law.
ROMANS 3: 31
Do we then make the Law void through faith? Let it not be! But we establish the Law.
25
Paul made this statement after he had already said that the doers of the Law will be
justified.
ROMANS 2: 13
For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will
be justified.
Note that Paul is not saying that those who keep the Law perfectly will be justified, but
simply those who do it; those who make an effort to keep the Law rather than turning
away from it. And God gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can become fully capable of
keeping His law.
PHILIPPIANS 4: 13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
ROMANS 8: 1-7
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh; so that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For they who are according to the
flesh mind the things of flesh, but they who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace because the
carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it
be.
This empowerment to fulfil the Law in ourselves will ultimately be realised in the
Millennium.
JEREMIAH 31: 31-34
Behold, the days come, says YHVH, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the
day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine
they broke, although I was a husband to them, says YHVH; but this shall be the covenant that I
will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says YHVH, I will put My Law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they
shall no more teach each man his neighbour and each man his brother, saying, Know YHVH; for
they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says YHVH. For I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.
EZEKIEL 11: 19-20
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the
stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, so that they may walk in My
statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their
God.
EZEKIEL 36: 25-27
26
And I will sprinkle clean waters on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all
your filthiness and from your idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit
within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of
flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall
keep My judgments and do them.
That these promises were made to the houses of Judah and Israel does not mean that
they do not apply to Christians, for we have been grafted into Israel (Romans 11) so that
we are now a part of the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12). And this promise of
the new covenant is reiterated in what we call the New Testament.
HEBREWS 8: 8-12
For finding fault with them, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and
I will make an end on the house of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be,
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took hold of their hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt," because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did
not regard them, says the Lord. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts,
and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not each man teach his
neighbour, and each man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know Me, from the
least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities I will remember no more."
The law of God was not just for one period of time. It is eternal. It was also kept long
before the time of Moses by both Abraham and Job.
GENESIS 26: 4-5
And I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of the heavens, and will give to your seed
all these lands. And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Abraham
obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My Laws.
JOB 22: 21-23
Now be of service with Him, and be at peace. Good shall come to you by them. Please
receive the Law from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the
Almighty, you shall be built up; you shall put away injustice far from your tents.
That the law of God is also meant for ALL people can be seen by the fact that in the
Millennium the Law will go out into all the world.
ISAIAH 2: 2-3
And it shall be, in the last days the mountain of YHVH's house shall be established in the
top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And
many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of YHVH, to the house of
the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion
shall go out the Law, and the Word of YHVH from Jerusalem.
27
The Word (Yahshua) and the Law are synonymous. Together they are the way of life
for the entire world (also witnessed in Micah 4). It will be because the world has rejected
God’s law that Yahshua, the Word, will come back in fiery judgment.
ISAIAH 24: 5-6
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed
the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse
devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the
earth are burned, and few men left.
This includes the law of clean and unclean foods.
ISAIAH 66: 15-18
For, behold, YHVH will come with fire, and with His chariots like a tempest, to refresh His
anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword YHVH will
execute judgment with all flesh; and the slain of YHVH will be many. Those who sanctify
themselves, and purify themselves to go into the gardens, behind one tree in the middle, eating
swine's flesh, and the hateful thing, and the mouse, will be cut off together, says YHVH. For I
know their works and their thoughts; it comes to gather all the nations and the tongues; and
they will come and see My glory.
Note that God says He knows their works and their thoughts - it is the ones who
knowingly practice lawlessness (who know that they are to follow the Law but reject it)
whom Yahshua will say that He never knew.
Many Christians have been taught that “lawlessness” simply means disobedience to the
laws of the state, but we must define Biblical words according to the Bible, not
according to common usage. The Bible is its own dictionary.
1 JOHN 3: 4
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.
Is sin defined by transgressing man's laws or God's laws? It should be clear to everyone
that sin is disobedience to God’s laws, not man’s (which are sometimes contrary to
God’s laws). This is made most plain in the older King James translation.
1 JOHN 3: 4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law.
So it is the righteous who shall inherit the earth at Yahshua’s return. They are not selfrighteous; they do not justify themselves, which only the blood of Messiah can do, but
they are striving to live a righteous life. And with the help of the Holy Spirit they will
be doing do so to various degrees.
PSALM 37: 9-11, 18, 22, 29, 34
28
For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on YHVH, they shall inherit the earth. It
is but a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, you shall search his place, and he shall not
be. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the overflowing of
peace… YHVH knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever… For His
blessed ones shall inherit the earth; and those cursed by Him shall be cut off… The righteous
shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever… Wait on YHVH, and keep His way, and He shall lift
you up to inherit the earth; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it…
Those who try to keep the Way before Yahshua returns can also be identified by the
persecution that they draw to themselves for nothing more than trying to live
righteously.
2 TIMOTHY 3: 12
Yea, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
MATTHEW 5: 3-12
Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they that
mourn! For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek! For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled. Blessed are
the merciful! For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart! For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are they who
have been persecuted for righteousness sake! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are
you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you
falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is great. For so
they persecuted the prophets who were before you…
LUKE 6: 20-23
And lifting up His eyes to His disciples, He said, Blessed are the poor, for yours is the
kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who
weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall
cut you off, and when they shall reproach you and shall cast out your name as evil, for the sake
of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your reward is great in
Heaven. For so their fathers did according to these things to the prophets.
Because of these persecutions, godly men and women will not be able to prosper in the
latter days before Yahshua’s return. Or if they do, then it will only be by God’s good
grace for His own particular reasons (Think Joseph, Daniel etc.). But even those who
prosper materially will be marked by their giving of goods to others, for that is the
reason why we labour (not to heap up riches for ourselves). Thus those who are to
inherit the kingdom of God will not be marked out as rich.
EPHESIANS 4: 28
Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the
thing which is good, so that he may have something to give to him who needs.
MARK 10: 14-15, 24-25, 29-30
29
But when Jesus saw, He was much displeased and said to them, Allow the little children to
come to Me and do not hinder them. For of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you,
Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter into it… And
the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answering again said to them, Children,
how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich one to enter into the kingdom of God…
And Jesus answered and said, Truly I say to you, There is no man that has left house or brothers
or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospel's sake, but
he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers
and children and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life.
LUKE 18: 16-17, 24-25
But Jesus called them and said, Allow the little children to come to Me, and forbid them
not. For of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child shall in no way enter into it… And when Jesus saw that he was very
sorrowful, He said, How hardly those having riches shall enter into the kingdom of God! For it
is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich one to enter into the kingdom
of God.
MATTHEW 19: 23-24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty
enter into the kingdom of Heaven. And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
JAMES 2: 5-7
Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and
heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? But you dishonoured the
poor one. Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats? Do they not
blaspheme that worthy Name by which you are called?
Therefore as we both give to others and suffer loss, so we will receive.
LUKE 12: 42-44
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall set over
his houseservants, to give them their portion of food in season? Blessed is that servant when
his lord comes and finds him so doing. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his
possessions.
ISAIAH 60: 21 - 61: 3
Your people also will all be righteous; they will inherit the land forever, the branch of My
planting, the work of My hands, so that I may be glorified. A little one will become a thousand,
30
and a small one a strong nation: I YHVH will hasten it in its time. The Spirit of the Lord YHVH is
on Me; because YHVH has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to
bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison
to those who are bound; to preach the acceptable year of YHVH and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all who mourn; to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give to them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; so
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of YHVH, that He might be
glorified.
But let us not forget that it is our faith that qualifies us for these blessings, which results
in our bearing fruit according to the righteous commandments of Yahweh, and this is
the character that will be seen in God's people as they take this message out to all the
world.
ACTS 26: 17-18
…delivering you from the people and the nations, to whom I now send you in order to open
their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan to God,
so that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified
by faith in Me.
JOHN 18: 36
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then
My servants would fight so that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But now My kingdom is
not from here.
We currently belong to a heavenly kingdom that is not of this world, but one day in the
near future our Lord and Saviour will come back to establish His physical Kingdom.
When the fulfilment of that heavenly prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven,” is finally fulfilled, what will we be doing?
This book has already established from scripture that we will rule the world with
Yahshua, taking lordship over various cities as kings and priests of God. This is
summed up very neatly in the book of Revelation.
REVELATION 5: 9-10
And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals,
for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation. And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over
the earth.
But who will we be reigning over? Many would assume that we will reign over the
unsaved who survive the Tribulation, especially as the above text says that we will reign
over the earth. But as will be shown in the next part of this book, the nations of the
world will retain their own kings, and the word translated as “earth” can also be
translated as ‘region’ or ‘land;’ in this instance the land of Israel. God’s people, either
descended or adopted into the family of God and saved from every corner of the world,
will finally inherit the fullness of the Promised Land.
But if all the redeemed are kings, then who will we reign over in God’s kingdom?
31
The actual Greek word translated as “kings” technically means to, ‘stand on a
foundation of power,’ which refers to general rulership rather than any specific kingship. This particular Greek word also has its roots in a word which means, “to walk,”
which is very enlightening because as we have seen those who walk the Way (who
follow and teach the Law) are the ones who will be great in the Kingdom of God. It is
also important to note that most Bibles translate the above passage along the lines of,
‘You made us to be a kingdom and priests,’ not, “kings and priests.” So it seems that
believers will not be kings in the literal sense but spiritual overcomers, empowered by
compliance to the laws of God to rule themselves and others in mutual subjection (1
Peter 5:5). As will be seen later, there is only one King in Israel.
There will however be local rulers of the various cities of Israel (as was seen in the
parable of the talents - page 16), with the twelve apostles at the top of this hierarchal
structure in subjection to our one and only King. Those who we will rule over will be
other believers in God’s Kingdom; those who did not follow or teach the Law in this
lifetime and are therefore “least in the kingdom of God.” Although Revelation chapter
five refers to believers as kings (rulers, overcomers) and priests, this is not necessarily
true of all believers; rather a subset who are faithful to all the ways of God. This would
seem to be implied by Paul’s sarcastic but then painfully yearning words to the
Corinthians, whom he considered to be believers.
1 CORINTHIANS 4: 8
Already you are full! Already you are rich! You have reigned as kings without us! And oh
that indeed you did reign, that we also might reign with you.
Paul’s critical but informative sarcasm reveals that as things stand, these believers are
not in line to reign with Paul and the other apostles. Also note that the word “kings” is
in italics, which means that the translators added it into the original text. Yet Paul still
refers to them in the context as brothers (v6) and beloved children (v14), so we know
that they are nevertheless saved. They have accepted Yahshua as Lord, but they have
not been particularly faithful to the One Who is nevertheless faithful to them. From the
parable of the talents, we can see that it is only those who know the word of God and
yet have no desire to have Him reign over them (Luke 19:27) who will be cast into outer
darkness with unbelievers (Matthew 24:51, 25:30). Whereas the least in the kingdom of
God still have a desire for Him, but are lacking in faithfulness to His word. As a result
they are chastened and refined by having to keep the commandments of God (that they
formerly ignored) through the Great Tribulation (Revelation 2:22) without a place of
safety (Revelation 12:13-17).
LUKE 21: 36
Watch therefore, praying in every season that you may be counted worthy to escape all
these things which shall occur, and to stand before the Son of Man.
HEBREWS 10: 26-30
32
For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no
more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation [the
Great Tribulation?], which shall devour the adversaries. He who despised Moses' Law died
without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you
suppose, will he be thought worthy of punishment, the one who has trampled the Son of God,
and who has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing,
and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who has said, "Vengeance belongs to
Me, I will repay, says the Lord." And again, "The Lord shall judge His people."
There is great dispute as to whether these verses refer to those who have lost (or never
gained) their salvation or to believers who are simply chastened for their lack of
obedience (Hebrews 12:5-7). This is often because these verses are interpreted as though
an eternal fate is being addressed. But it seems more likely that the writer to the
Hebrews is speaking of the Great Tribulation. We should note that the, “Lord shall
judge His people,” not the wicked. The truth that these believers have received (v26) is
the truth of salvation, but they continue to sin wilfully because they make little effort to
learn God’s ways (they don’t wilfully disobey, but they wilfully sin by transgressing
the Law that they have not made the effort to learn). They thus have a cloak for their
sin (John 15:22) but they have nevertheless not been faithful in drawing close to God
(John 14:23, James 4:8a).
When they come out the other side of martyrdom in the Resurrection, it therefore
appears that they will reign with God in an ecclesiastical position only, having no
involvement with the administrative function of full-blooded rulers.
REVELATION 20: 4-6
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the
souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and
who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads,
nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority
over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ [no mention of kingship], and will reign
with Him a thousand years.
Note that there are two groups of believers in this passage: the beginning of verse 4
speaks of those who sit on thrones and who have judgment (rulership) given to them,
and then we are told of those who were beheaded for the witness of Yahshua and His
word. Together they reign with Christ and are priests, but there is no mention of
kingship (as in Revelation chapter five) because in this instance John is revealing the
universal benefit of the first resurrection. Formerly foolish Christians will serve God as
priests but not as ‘kings.'
However, this is not to say that there are two types of Christians, for in the eternal order
all believers will have equal inheritance as co-heirs with Christ (a subject that is covered
in the conclusion of this book) for grace always trumps sin (Romans 5:20-6:2). But as a
matter of Millennial reward, rulership is abdicated by those who are not wise to the
Word of God prior to the Tribulation.
33
Because of the abuse of God’s grace under the new (or renewed) covenant, it should
make sense that there is to be an added emphasis on sacrifice in the Millennial temple;
if we compare the differences between the sacrifices detailed in the Torah for the old
covenant, and in Ezekiel chapters 40-48 for the fulfilment of the new covenant, we
notice a greater focus on purity.

The Sabbath sacrifice is increased from two lambs, to six lambs and a ram.

The Morning sacrifice still consists of one lamb, but the meal offering increases
from 1/10 ephah of flour and 1/4 hin of oil, to 1/6 ephah of flour and 1/3 hin of oil.
Interestingly, there is no drink-offering of wine in Ezekiel’s temple as there was under
the old covenant, which may be because Yahshua now drinks the wine with us (Matthew
26:29), rather than it being poured out to symbolise His blood; whilst there will be a
greater focus on holiness after such an abuse of grace in the ‘church age,’ the fact that
Yahshua has already paid the price is still testified to. There is also no longer a daily
evening sacrifice in addition to the morning sacrifice (perhaps because the night has
passed), and there are less sacrifices for the New Moon feast (perhaps because the
Church – as represented by the moon - is now more manifest than ever before).
Whilst the daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices of lambs continue as a memorial, there
are no longer any sacrifices of lambs in the Feast of Unleavened Bread and in the Feast
of Tabernacles (only bulls, rams and goats). This is probably because all the nations of
the world will be gathering to these two yearly feasts (as explained in the next part of
this book) and Yahshua may want to highlight to them the fact that He is the Lamb Who
has now been sacrificed for their sins in order to make them holy (as the Feast of
Unleavened Bread is meant to teach us) so that He can dwell with those who walk in
His ways (as represented in the Feast of Tabernacles).
In addition to serving as priests and ‘kings’ during the Millennium, believers will also
be going out to the other kingdoms of the world, ministering to and teaching those who
survived the Tribulation period. The saints will also have the authority of the King of
kings in order to judge certain matters amongst the nations.
1 CORINTHIANS 6: 2-3
Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by
you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge
angels, not to mention the things of this life?
In the letter above, Paul is not speaking of the singular judgments at the start of the
Millennium (for Yahshua is the Judge in all such matters). Rather, he is speaking of
continual judgment. The ISV (International Standard Version) translates Paul’s words
as 'rule' rather than 'judge':
1 CORINTHIANS 6: 2-3
You know that the saints will rule the world, don't you? And if the world is going to be ruled
by you, can't you handle insignificant cases? You know that we will rule angels, not to mention
things in this life, don't you?
34
But as the next part of this book reveals, this will not be in the form of absolute rule,
but rather an authority similar to that of the federal judges in the United States, who
have power to rule over state affairs in certain instances, whilst the governors are the
rulers of each state in day-to-day affairs. The kingdoms of the world will have
autonomy, but will still be expected to come under the subjection of the King of kings
and His ambassadors.
That there are other kingdoms is clear from many prophecies in both the Old and New
Testaments, and this will be shown in greater detail in the next part of this book. But
for now, two prophecies will suffice to give a clear overview of these facts.
DANIEL 7: 13-14, 22, 27
I saw in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And dominion
and glory was given Him, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages, should serve
Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and
possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever… …until the Ancient of Days came, and
judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. And the time came that the saints possessed
the kingdom… And the kingdom and rulership, and the greatness of the kingdom under all the
heavens, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey Him.
ISAIAH 61: 5 - 62: 12
And strangers will stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the stranger will be your
plowmen and your vinedressers. But you will be named the priests of YHVH; it will be said of
you, Ministers of our God; you will eat the riches of the nations, and you will revel in their glory.
For your shame you will have double; and for disgrace they will rejoice in their portion;
therefore in their own land they will possess double; everlasting joy will be theirs. For I YHVH
love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will
make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed will be known among the nations, and
their offspring among the peoples; all who see them will acknowledge them, that they are the
seed YHVH has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in YHVH, my soul will be joyful in my God; for He
has clothed me with the robes of salvation, He covered me with the robe of righteousness like
a bridegroom adorns himself with ornaments, and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth comes out with its bud, and as the garden causes that which is sown to grow;
so the Lord YHVH will cause righteousness and praise to grow before all the nations. For Zion's
sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until its righteousness goes out
as brightness, and her salvation as a burning lamp. And the nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of YHVH will
name. You also will be a crown of glory in the hand of YHVH, and a royal diadem in the hand of
your God. You will no more be called Forsaken; nor will your land any more be called Desolate;
35
but you will be called My Delight is in her, and your land, Married; for YHVH delights in you, and
your land is married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so will your sons marry you; and as
the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so will your God rejoice over you. I have set watchmen
on your walls, O Jerusalem, who will not always be silent all the day nor all the night; you who
remember YHVH, do not be silent. And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes
Jerusalem a praise in the earth. YHVH has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His
strength, Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies; and the sons of
strangers will not drink your wine for which you have laboured. But its gatherers will eat it and
praise YHVH; and they who collected it will drink it in My holy courts. Pass! Pass through the
gates; prepare the way of the people. Raise up! Raise up the highway; gather out the stones;
lift up a banner for the peoples. Behold, YHVH has sent a message to the end of the earth, Tell
the daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His
work before Him. And they will call them, The Holy People, The Redeemed of YHVH; and you
will be called, Sought Out, a city not forsaken.
We also see here that we will be eating and drinking in our angelic nature, as we saw
earlier in this book when our resurrected Lord ate before His disciples. Not only this,
but we will also be growing our own food. So just as Adam tilled the land in the Garden
east of Eden, so we will return to our roots (pardon the pun) in our relationship to the
earth. Again it must be stressed that even though the above prophecy was given to the
ethnic Israelites, and even though it spoke of their land, as believers we are grafted into
Israel and we will have dwellings in the same land (just as converts did in the days of
ancient Israel).
MATTHEW 8: 11
And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven.
There will certainly be room, for according to the original covenant that Yahweh cut
with Abraham, Millennial Israel will be far larger than the current sliver of land that it
currently occupies.
GENESIS 15: 8
In the same day YHVH made a covenant with Abram, saying, I have given this land to your
seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates…
Again, we will explore this topic in more detail in the next part of this book.
It is interesting that we will also rule over angels. This might seem strange until we
remember that in the Resurrection we will be like the angels themselves, but with the
additional authority of Yahshua as adopted children of God. How we rule over the
angels and what roles they will have are quite frankly a mystery, but it is important to
know that we will have this authority over them because it shows the amazing grace of
our Lord to have lifted us up above all other powers and principalities with Him (as
well as hinting at our eternal status and purpose beyond the Millennium, which is
covered in the conclusion to this book).
Finally and most importantly, our activity in the Millennium will include praising the
God of Israel.
REVELATION 7: 9-17
36
After these things I looked, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of
all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes, with palms in their hands. And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
Salvation to our God sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb. And all the angels stood around
the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell before the throne on
their faces and worshiped God, saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders
answered, saying to me, Who are these who are arrayed in white robes, and from where do
they come? And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who came
out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes, and have whitened them in the blood
of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and they serve Him day and night in
His temple. And He sitting on the throne will dwell among them. They will not hunger any more,
nor thirst any more, nor will the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb who is in the
midst of the throne will feed them and will lead them to the fountains of living waters. And God
will wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Whilst this passage speaks only of those who came through the Great Tribulation, surely
the same praises will be offered up by all those who have been redeemed by the blood
of the Lamb. Perhaps this group of believers is highlighted because their praise at this
time will be all the more fervent for the harsher times they have been through? After
all, those who have been forgiven much, love much (Luke 7:47). Yet as the years march
gloriously on through the Millennium, there is no doubt that every believer will wholly
and comprehensively praise God for the mercies and graces that He will have bestowed
upon them; for everyone falls equally short of the glory of our God (Romans 3:23).
PSALM 30: 3-4
O YHVH, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, so that I
should not go down to the Pit. Sing praises to YHVH, O you saints of His, and give thanks at the
memory of His holiness.
PSALM 47
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Clap your hand, all you peoples; shout
to God with the voice of triumph. For YHVH Most High is awesome, a great king over all the
earth. He shall humble the peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He shall choose our
inheritance for us, the majesty of Jacob whom He loved. Selah. God has gone up with a shout,
YHVH with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing
praise. For God is King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the
nations, God sits on the throne of His holiness. The rulers of the peoples are gathered together,
the people of the God of Abraham; for the shields of the earth are God's; He is lifted up on high.
PSALM 9: 11
Sing praises to YHVH, who dwells in Zion; declare among the nations His deeds.
1 PETER 2: 9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession,
so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His
marvellous light…
37
Our God Reigns. David and the Throne. Israel and Judah Reunited. Israel the Head of the Nations.
ISAIAH 3: 24 – 4: 2
38
Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament
and mourn; and she shall sit deserted on the ground. And in that day seven women shall take
hold of one man, saying, we will eat our own bread and wear our own clothing; only let us be
called by your name, to take away our shame. In that day shall the Branch of YHVH be beautiful
and glorious, and the fruit of the earth excellent and comely for those who have escaped from
Israel.
In the Day that Yahshua returns to rule, He will vanquish all the armies that have come
against Jerusalem. It seems that because of the huge military conscription by all the
nations of the world, there will be a surplus of women in the Gentile lands, even seven
to every man. These women will therefore have to work to earn their own keep. But in
the land of Israel the earth will bring forth abundant resources for those who were
obedient to the Lord and “escaped from Israel” three and a half years earlier, when a
previous attack upon Jerusalem occurred in line with the abomination of desolation
(Matthew 24:16).
ZEPHANIAH 3: 9-13
Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter
of Jerusalem. YHVH has turned off your judgments; He has cast out your enemy. The king of
Israel, YHVH, is in your midst; you shall not fear evil any more. In that day it shall be said to
Jerusalem, Fear not! Do not let not your hands droop, Zion. YHVH your God is mighty in your
midst; He will save, He will rejoice over you with joy; He is silent in His love; He rejoices over
you with joyful shout. I will gather the afflicted ones from the appointed place; they were from
you, a lifting up of reproach over her. Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict
you. And I will save her who is lame, and gather her who was driven out. And I will give them
for a praise and for a name in all the land of their shame. In that time I will bring you, even in
the time that I gather you; for I will give you for a name and for a praise among all the peoples
of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, says YHVH.
REVELATION 12: 6
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, so that
they might nourish her there a thousand, two hundred and sixty days.
ISAIAH 16: 1-5
Send the lamb to the ruler of the land from the rock of the desert [Petra] to the mount of
the daughter of Zion. For it shall be as a fleeing bird cast out of the nest, the daughters of Moab
shall be at the fords of Arnon. Take counsel, do judgment; make your shadow as the night in
the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; do not betray the fugitive. Let my outcasts dwell
with you, Moab [Jordan]; be a shelter to them from the face of the destroyer; for the
extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceases, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. And
in mercy the throne shall be established; and he shall sit on it in truth in the tabernacle of David,
judging and seeking judgment, and speeding righteousness.
Once Israel has been purged of those who take no delight in God, it will become the
dwelling place of the Redeemed, as Isaiah continues (from Isaiah 4:2 above) to tell us...
ISAIAH 4: 3-6
39
And it shall be, he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy,
even everyone who is written among the living in Jerusalem; when the Lord shall have washed
away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its
midst by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And YHVH will create over all the
site of Mount Zion, and on her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a
flaming fire by night; for on all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a booth for a
shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge, and for a hiding place from storm and rain.
All of God’s people will be holy and will live in Israel, but sinners who survived the
Tribulation will live in the Gentile nations around them. God’s people will be kept safe
from any potential future attacks upon Jerusalem and other Israeli cities by the Holy
Spirit, Who will be manifested in a similar way to how He dwelt with the Israelites in
the wilderness, acting in this instance as a defensive shield over the people of Israel.
And from this time on, the beginning of Christ’s rule over the whole earth will begin to
unfold as people from all nations come up to worship Him.
PSALM 82: 8
Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit in all nations.
But not everyone will willingly bow the knee, and although the Gentile nations as a
whole will accept that it would be futile to ever go to war against Israel again, the
lingering desire will still remain. This can be most clearly seen a thousand years later
when Satan once more deceives the nations into thinking that they can win against the
people of God (Revelation 20:7-9). But in addition to this last battle, Isaiah hints that
there will be skirmishes even before then, yet far from Israel’s populated areas and
always ending in Israel’s total victory.
ISAIAH 54: 13-17
And all your sons shall be taught of YHVH; and great shall be the peace of your sons. In
righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression; for you shall not fear;
and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Behold, they shall surely gather together, not
by Me; whoever shall gather against you, he shall fall by you. Behold, I have created the smith
who blows the coals in the fire, and who brings out a tool for his work; and I have created the
waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against you shall be blessed; and every tongue
that shall rise against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the inheritance of the
servants of YHVH, and their righteousness is from Me, says YHVH.
Besides, in order for the Gentiles to recover from the mighty devastation caused to their
lands by the judgements of God during the Tribulation, they will initially have to devote
all of their resources to rebuilding their essential industries and restoring their way of
life (unfortunately the famous passage from Micah quoted below does not speak of a
lack of desire for war, but only of an incapacity to do so at the beginning of the
Millennium).
40
MICAH 4: 3-8
And He shall judge between many peoples, and will decide for strong nations afar off; and
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall
not lift up a sword against nation, And they shall not still learn war. But they shall sit each one
under his vine and under his fig tree; and there shall be no trembling; for the mouth of YHVH
of Hosts has spoken, For all peoples will walk, each one in the name of his god; and we will walk
in the name of YHVH our God forever and ever. In that day, says YHVH, I will gather the lame,
and I will gather the banished, and the one I have afflicted. And I will make the lame into a
remnant, and her who was cast off a strong nation; and YHVH shall reign over them in Mount
Zion from now on, even forever. And you, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion,
to you it shall happen. And rulers, the chief ones, shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of
Jerusalem.
ISAIAH 65: 13-15, 21-24
So the Lord YHVH says, Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, My
servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be
ashamed. Behold, My servants will sing for joy of heart, but you will cry for sorrow of heart, and
will howl because of a breaking of spirit. And you will leave your name for a curse to My elect;
for the Lord YHVH will kill you, and call His servants by another name… And they will build
houses and live in them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build,
and another live in them; they will not plant, and another eat. For like the days of a tree are the
days of My people, and My elect will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labour in
vain, nor bring forth for terror. For they are the seed of the beloved of YHVH, and their offspring
with them. And it will be, before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will
hear.
If it were not for the Holy Spirit acting as a defence over Israel (Isaiah 4:5), God’s people
might once more be vulnerable to terror attacks in the future, after the Gentile nations
have recovered. Although it will be proven shortly, there is evidence here that the whole
world will not willingly submit to Yahweh through Yahshua at His return; Micah said
that each person will walk in the name of his god (v5) and Isaiah said that the Lord will
kill those who rebel against His rule by not yielding to Him as proper vassals. We can
turn to the book of Zechariah to see how this will happen.
ZECHARIAH 14: 17-21
And it shall be, whoever will not come up from all the families of the earth to Jerusalem to
worship the King, YHVH of Hosts, even on them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt does
not go up, nor come in, they shall have no rain, but the plague with which YHVH shall strike the
nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be Egypt's offense,
and the offense of all the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In that
day there shall be on the bells of the horses, HOLY TO YHVH. And the pots in YHVH's house shall
be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to
YHVH of Hosts. And all those who sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil in them. And
in that day there shall no longer be a trader in the house of YHVH of Hosts.
41
Yahweh will withhold rain in order to cause famine, and He will also replace the
rebellious nations’ life-giving waters with a plague; the same plague that He used to
remove their countrymen who fought against Jerusalem at His return (the following
passage precedes the one above).
ZECHARIAH 14: 12-16
And this shall be the plague with which YHVH will strike all the peoples who have fought
against Jerusalem. Their flesh shall rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes shall rot in
their sockets. And their tongue shall rot in their mouth. And it shall be in that day a great panic
of YHVH shall be among them And they shall each one lay hold of his neighbour, and his hand
shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the
wealth of all the nations all around shall be gathered, gold, and silver, and clothing in great
abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, the mule, the camel, and the ass, and of
all the beasts which shall be in these tents, like this plague. And it shall be, everyone who is left
of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the
King, YHVH of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Nations will already have had fair warning. After millennia of abusing God’s
mercy, they will now face a zero-tolerance God who will rule them with a rod of iron.
And He will not let them forget the punishment for disobedience; those who come up
to worship Him from every nation (all flesh) will have to visit the dead bodies of those
who rebelled, their bodily remains preserved from decay and left unconsumed by the
fires that continuously burn them.
ISAIAH 66: 23-24
And it will be, from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, all flesh
will come to worship before Me, says YHVH. And they will go out and see the dead bodies of
the men who have sinned against Me; for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be put out;
and they will be an object of disgust to all flesh.
It is these words of Isaiah’s that Yahshua used when speaking of hell-fire in Mark 9:4348. Many believers have unknowingly taken this quote out of context and used it as a
reference for the false doctrine of eternal suffering (see appendix), but it is clear that
Yahshua was quoting this Old Testament prophecy to remind His hearers that sin
(rebellion against God) only leads to death. And this will be the same reminder for the
people of the Nations who walk up and down to Jerusalem in the Millennium.
If the iron rod that Yahshua takes to the Nations seems harsh, let us recognise that our
Messiah is no tyrant; the rebellious in this time period do not have mere political
differences, but are those who reject holiness and righteousness in its most pure and
noble form. These are the wicked, forced to bow the knee so that evil can be restrained
to a far greater degree than ever before. Finally people will have their wish granted for
God to take more of an active hand in preventing evil, but it may not be as they had
expected! There will however still be the opportunity for those who seek after
righteousness to gladly bow the knee before their Saviour, and join other believers in
the Kingdom of Israel. Indeed the restraint of evil will provide opportunities like never
before in history for pure-hearted, God-fearing, people to hear the Good News from
Yahweh’s travelling ministers, so that all who so desire can also come into a loving
relationship with their God and King.
42
ISAIAH 66: 19-22
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who escape from them to the
nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, drawers of the bow; to Tubal, and Javan, to the far away
coasts that have not heard My fame, nor have seen My glory. And they will declare My glory
among the nations. And they will bring all your brothers for an offering to YHVH out of all
nations on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on camels, to My holy
mountain Jerusalem, says YHVH, as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the
house of YHVH. And I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites, says YHVH. For as
the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make stand before Me, says YHVH, so will your
seed and your name stand.
This will be a time when the righteous are made to stand, whilst the wicked are made
to receive what is their due recompense for all the evil that they continuously commit.
Just as Yahweh heard the cries of His people in Egypt before bringing them out to the
promised land, so He will have answered the cries of His people from all nations and
tongues (Revelation 6:10-11), and will have brought them redemption from both the sin
within and the evil without.
PSALM 102: 15-22
So the nations shall fear the name of YHVH, and all the kings of the earth Your glory. When
YHVH shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. He will turn to the prayer of the forsaken
and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come; and the people
who shall be created shall praise YHVH. For He has looked down from the height of His
sanctuary; from Heaven YHVH beheld the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set
free the sons of death; to declare the name of YHVH in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem; when
the peoples and the kingdoms have gathered together to serve YHVH…
JEREMIAH 23: 5-8
Behold, the days come, says YHVH, that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and a King
shall reign and act wisely, and shall do judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall
be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is His name by which He shall be called, YHVH,
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, says YHVH, that they shall no more
say, YHVH lives, who brought the sons of Israel up out of the land of Egypt; but, YHVH lives, who
brought up and led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all
countries where I have driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land.
For those who live in Israel as God’s redeemed people, He will be near to them in a
very tender and special way. It is worth reprinting the final verse of the Isaiah 65 segment
from page 40.
ISAIAH 65: 24
And it will be, before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
43
Yahshua will minister to each of His people in a way that means they will never lack
anything. Before they even call for Him, He will be there with them. And before they
have even finished speaking to Him, He will know what it is that they need. So is the
case even now (Matthew 6:7-8) but His physical presence when He is with us will be all
the sweeter.
ISAIAH 40: 3-11
The voice of him who cries in the wilderness, Prepare the way of YHVH, make straight a
highway in the desert for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill
shall be made low; and the crooked places shall be made level, and the rough places smooth;
and the glory of YHVH shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of
YHVH has spoken. The voice said, Cry! And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all
the beauty of it is as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the
Spirit of YHVH blows on it; surely the people is grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but
the Word of our God shall stand forever. Go up for yourself on the high mountain, bringer of
good tidings to Zion. Lift up your voice with strength, O you who bring good tidings to
Jerusalem; lift up, do not be afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the
Lord YHVH will come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is
with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the
lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those with young.
One last thing to mention from the Isaiah 65 segment is verse 23, in which we are told
that neither will the offspring of God’s people labour in vain. As has already been noted,
those who are resurrected to glory have angelic bodies and do not marry. So who then
are the offspring? The most likely explanation is that they are the converts of the future,
who are born in the midst of the Gentile nations and to whom Yahshua’s people will go
out to minister. When we recall that the apostle Paul often spoke about himself as a
father to those he discipled, and that Yahshua told us that we will receive mothers,
brothers, sisters and children a hundredfold if we lose our own family to follow Him
(Mark 10:29-30), this interpretation of Isaiah 65:23 does seem the most reasonable.
Further support for this supposition can be found by Paul’s reference to humankind as
‘God’s offspring’ (Acts 17:28-29) for this is only in the sense of being made in His image
and not as the product of sexual creation. Indeed such metaphorical language is used
by Yahshua in His mortal ministry as He distinguishes between children of God and
children of the devil (John 8:42-44). And as will be seen in the quote from Isaiah below
(34:1) those of the world are called the ‘world’s offspring.’
Now there will be some nations that no longer exist, whose lands will be cursed and
where no missionary from Zion will go. One of these is Edom, whose people are
ancestors of the Philistines and who currently occupy the West Bank and Gaza. Their
constant warfare against Zion will come to an end when Yahshua returns to restore the
land to His people.
ISAIAH 33: 20 - 34: 17
44
Look on Zion, the city of our holy meetings; your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet home, a
tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of its stakes shall ever be removed, nor shall
any of its cords be broken. But there the glorious YHVH will be to us a place of broad rivers and
streams, in which no galley with oars shall go, nor shall mighty ship pass by it. For YHVH is our
judge, YHVH is our lawgiver, YHVH is our king; He will save us. Your ropes are loosened, they
do not hold the base of the mast; they could not spread the sail. Then the prey of a great spoil
shall be divided; the lame take the prey. And an inhabitant, the people who live in it shall not
say, I am sick; iniquity is taken away. Come near, nations, to hear; and, you people, listen; let
the earth hear, and its fullness; the world, and its offspring. For the anger of YHVH is on all
nations, and His fury on all their armies. He has completely destroyed them, He has delivered
them to the slaughter. Also their dead shall be thrown out, and their stink shall come up out of
their dead bodies, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of the
heavens shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled like a scroll; and all their host shall
droop, as a leaf falls off from the vine, and as the falling from the fig tree. For My sword bathed
in the heavens. Behold, it shall come down on Edom, and on the people of My curse for
judgment. The sword of YHVH is filled with blood; it is made fat with fatness, with the blood of
lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for YHVH has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a
great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild oxen shall come down with them, and the
bulls with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with
fatness. For it is the day of YHVH's vengeance, the year to repay for the fighting against Zion.
And its streams shall be turned into pitch, and its dust to brimstone, and its land shall become
burning pitch. It shall not be put out night or day; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation
to generation it shall lie waste; none passes through it forever and forever. But the pelican and
the bittern shall possess it; the owl also, and the raven, shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch
out on it the line of shame, and the stones of emptiness. They shall call its nobles to the
kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her rulers shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up
in her palaces, nettles and thistles in its fortresses; and it shall be a home of jackals and a court
for ostriches. The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the howling beasts; and the
shaggy goat shall cry to his fellow. The screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a
place of rest. There the snake shall nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow;
there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate. Seek out of the book of
YHVH, and read; not one of these shall fail, none shall lack its mate; for My mouth has
commanded, and His Spirit has gathered them. And He has cast the lot for them, and His hand
has divided it to them by line; they shall possess it forever, from generation to generation they
shall dwell in it.
Here is the first indication that not all of the nations in the Millennium will be restored
to the paradisiacal glory that was ubiquitous before the Fall, but only the land of Israel
around Mount Zion (as will be shown in the third part of this book). And the traditional
homeland of Edom, like the land around Babylon (Isaiah 13:19-22), will be even worse
than it is today, without even a single inhabitant to welcome Yahweh’s ministers; cursed
as a reminder of what it means to rebel against the Lord Most High.
ISAIAH 14: 29-32
Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod of your striking is broken. For a viper comes
forth from the root of a snake, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. And the first-born of
the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine,
and he shall slay your remnant. Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! O Philistia, all of you, are melted away;
for from the north a smoke comes, and no straggler in his ranks. What shall one then answer
the messengers of the nation? That YHVH has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall
trust in it.
45
The establishment of Yahshua as the King of kings and Lord of lords upon this Earth
will be a wonderful thing to those who seek after peace and righteousness, but a terrible
thing to those who are self-seeking and obey unrighteousness. The contrast between the
fates of these two groups when Yahshua returns could not be starker in Isaiah’s
beautifully poetic writings:
ISAIAH 24: 19 - 26: 6, 26: 12 - 27: 6
The earth is breaking, breaking! The earth is crashing, crashing! The earth is tottering,
tottering! Like a drunkard the earth is staggering, staggering! And it rocks to and fro like a treehut! And its sins heavy on it; and it shall fall and not rise again. And it shall be in that day, YHVH
shall punish the host of the high place on high, and on the kings of the earth on the earth. And
they shall be gathered, as prisoners are gathered in a dungeon. And they shall be shut up in the
prison, and after many days they shall be judged. Then the moon shall blush, and the sun shall
be ashamed, when YHVH of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, and gloriously before
His elders. O YHVH, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name; for You have done
a wonder; Counsels from afar; faithful faithfulness. For You have made a heap from a city; a
fortified city into a ruin; a citadel of foreigners to be no city; it shall never be built. Therefore
the strong people glorify You, the city of the fearful nations shall fear You. For You are a
stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a
shadow from the heat, when the blast of the fearful ones is like a storm against the wall. You
shall bring down the noise of foreigners, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the
shadow of cloud. The shouting of the terrifying ones shall be brought low. And in this mountain
YHVH of Hosts shall make a feast of fat things for all the people, a feast of wine on the lees, of
fat things full of marrow, of refined wine on the lees. And He will destroy in this mountain the
face of the covering which covers all people, and the veil that is woven over all nations. He will
swallow up death in victory; and the Lord YHVH will wipe away tears from all faces. And He shall
take away from all the earth the rebuke of His people. For YHVH has spoken. And one shall say
in that day, Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is YHVH; we
have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. For the hand of YHVH shall
rest in this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled under Him, even as straw is trampled in the
water of a dung pit. And He shall spread out His hands in their midst, as he who swims strokes
to swim. And He shall bring down their pride with the skill of His hands. And the fortress of the
high fort of your walls He will lay low, bring to the ground, to the dust. In that day this song
shall be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; He sets up salvation as our walls and
banks. Open the gates, and the righteous nation shall enter in, keeping faithfulness. You will
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You; because he trusts in You. Trust in
YHVH forever; for in the LORD YHVH is everlasting strength. For He brings down those who
dwell on high; He lays low the lofty city; He lays it low, even to the ground; He brings it to the
dust. The foot shall trample it, the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy… YHVH, You will
ordain peace for us; for You also have worked all our works in us. O YHVH our God, lords besides
You have had the rule over us; but by You only will we make mention of Your name. Dead ones
do not live; departed spirits do not rise. Therefore You have visited and destroyed them, and
46
made all memory of them to perish. You have increased the nation, O YHVH, You have increased
the nation; You are glorified; You have extended all the ends of the land. YHVH, in trouble they
have visited You; they poured out a prayer; Your chastening was on them. As a woman with
child draws near to bear, she is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so have we been in Your
sight, O YHVH. We conceived; we have been in pain, we gave birth to wind. We have not
brought about any salvation in the earth; nor have the people of the world fallen. Your dead
ones shall live, together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in
the dust; for your dew is as the dew of lights, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my
people, enter into your rooms and shut your doors around you; hide for a little moment, until
the fury has passed by. For behold, YHVH comes out of His place to punish the people of the
earth for their iniquity; the earth also shall reveal her blood, and shall no more cover her dead.
In that day YHVH with His great and fierce and strong sword shall punish the sea-monster, the
darting serpent, the sea-monster, that twisting serpent; and He shall kill the monster in the sea.
In that day sing to her, a delightful vineyard. I YHVH keep it; I will water it every moment; lest
any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Fury is not in Me; who would set the briers and thorns
against Me in battle? I would step through it; I would burn it at once. Or let them take hold of
My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me. He shall
cause those who come from Jacob to take root; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face
of the world with fruit.
Therefore Yahweh invites all to come to Him and be saved.
ISAIAH 45: 22-25
Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I
have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not
return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. He says, Only in YHVH do I
have righteousness and strength; even to Him he comes. And they are ashamed, all who are
angry with Him. In YHVH shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
One way or the other, all will bow the knee before Him.
PHILIPPIANS 2: 10-11
…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of earthly ones,
and of ones under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.
There are some lines of theology that tell us that the promises made to Israel in the Old
Testament no longer stand, that instead new promises were made to a Church which
replaced Israel, and that there will be no future kingdom of Israel. But there is a
consistency in the prophecies of both Testaments (as you would expect from that which
testifies) which proves this not to be true. When one realises that the Church did not
replace Israel, nor is it separate to Israel, but that the Church is Israel, one can see the
fulfilment of all these promises.
ISAIAH 9: 7
There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on
His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even
forever. The zeal of YHVH of Hosts will do this.
LUKE 1: 32-33, 67-75
47
He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give Him
the throne of His father David. And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there shall be no end… And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and
prophesied, saying, Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His
people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He
spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from eternity; that we should be saved from our
enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham, that He
would grant to us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him
without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
MICAH 5: 2
And you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you being least among the thousands of Judah, out of you He
shall come forth to Me, to become Ruler in Israel, He whose goings forth have been from of
old, from the days of eternity.
MATTHEW 2: 5-6
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea. For so it is written by the prophet, "And you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the governors of Judah. For out of
you shall come a Governor who shall rule My people Israel."
ACTS 5: 29-32
And Peter and the apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The
God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed and hanged on a tree. This One God has
exalted to be a Ruler and Saviour to His right hand in order to give repentance and remission of
sins to Israel. And we are His witnesses of these things. And so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God
has given to those who obey Him.
PSALM 2: 6-8
Yea, I have set My king on My holy hill, on Zion. I will declare the decree of YHVH. He has said
to Me, You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I shall give the nations for
Your inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession.
1 PETER 2: 6
Therefore also it is contained in the Scripture: "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner Stone, elect,
precious, and he who believes on Him shall never be ashamed."
REVELATION 14: 1
And I looked, and lo, the Lamb stood on Mount Zion. And with Him were a hundred and fortyfour thousands, having His Father's name written in their foreheads.
How can we be sure that the Church is Israel? It would require a book in itself to prove
this claim unequivocally, but certain scriptures (below) can point us in the right
direction for further study and meditation in the Holy Spirit (we should note that the
scriptures consistently speak of the Gentiles coming into Israel rather than the Jews
coming into a Gentile Church).
EPHESIANS 2: 11-19
48
Therefore remember that you, the nations, in time past were in the flesh, who are called
Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; and that at
that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in
Christ Jesus you who were once afar off are made near by the blood of Christ. For He is our
peace, He making us both one, and He has broken down the middle wall of partition between
us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity (the Law of commandments contained in
ordinances) so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, making peace
between them; and so that He might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity in Himself. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off, and to
those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now
therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of
the household of God…
GALATIANS 6: 15-16
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision has any strength, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon
the Israel of God.
ROMANS 11: 24-25
For if you were cut out of the natural wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature
into a good olive tree; how much more these being according to nature will be grafted into their
own olive-tree? For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should
be wise within yourselves; that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of
the nations has come in.
Only when the full number of the elect have come into Israel will Yahshua come back
to inaugurate the Kingdom that was rejected at His first coming, and to reign as Judge
over all the world.
PSALM 96: 9-13
O worship YHVH in the beauty of holiness; fear before Him, all the earth. Say among the
nations, YHVH reigns; and the world shall be established; it shall not be moved; He shall judge
the peoples in uprightness. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar,
and the fullness of it. Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it; then shall all the trees of the
forest rejoice before YHVH; for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth; He shall judge the
world with righteousness, and the people with His truth.
PSALM 98: 8-9
Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before YHVH; for He comes
to judge the earth; with righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples in uprightness.
PSALM 67
49
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song. May God be merciful to
us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine on us. Selah. So that Your way may be known on
earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples
thank You. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You shall judge the peoples righteously
and govern the nations on earth. Selah. Let the peoples give thanks to You, O God; let all the
peoples praise You. The earth shall yield its increase; and God, our own God, shall bless us. God
shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
PSALM 86: 9
All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall
glorify Your name.
Because of His glorious Kingship, all the nations will bring presents to Yahshua in
Jerusalem and will call Him blessed. This does not mean that all people will be gladly
bowing the knee, but it does mean that all the people of the world will acknowledge
that Yahshua’s reign is more just and fair than any human government in history.
PSALM 72
A Psalm of Solomon. Give the King Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the
King's son. He will judge Your people in righteousness, and Your poor with judgment. The
mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills by righteousness. He shall judge
the poor of the people; He shall save the children of the needy, and shall crush in pieces the
cruel one. They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
He shall come down like rain on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. In His days
the righteous shall flourish; and abundance of peace, until the moon is not. He shall also have
the rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the
wilderness shall bow before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and
of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall
fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him. For He shall deliver the needy when he cries;
and the poor with no helper. He shall have pity on the poor and needy and shall save the souls
of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and their blood shall be
precious in His sight. And He shall live, and to Him shall be given the gold of Sheba; and prayer
shall always be made for Him; He shall bless Him all the day long. There shall be a fullness of
grain in the earth on the top of the mountains; its fruit shall shake like Lebanon, and they of the
city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure forever; His name shall be
continued as long as the sun; and men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.
Blessed is YHVH God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful things. And blessed be His
glorious name forever; and all the earth is filled with His glory! Amen and Amen. The prayers of
David the son of Jesse are ended.
We should note from verse 16 (beginning, “there shall be a fullness of grain in the earth
on the top of the mountains”), that the land of Israel is still far more blessed than the
other nations of the world, for this is where God’s people live. Whilst the Gentile
nations will come to appreciate the rule of Yahshua, those who remain in them and do
not join with Israel will only appreciate the worldwide rule of God from a grudgingly
pragmatic position, unwilling to come under His spiritual authority and embrace the
living Word in their individual lives.
50
PSALM 66: 1-4
To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth. Sing forth
the honour of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, How awesome are Your works!
Through the greatness of Your power, Your enemies pretend obedience to You. All the earth
shall worship You, and shall sing to You; they praise Your name. Selah.
We could compare these future generations to the many godless people in today’s
western world, who appreciate the Christian heritage that our nations have as far as the
rule of law is concerned for their own individual safeties and freedoms, but who have
no heartfelt love and appreciation for the way of the Gospel. These people in the
Millennium will enjoy the safety and prosperity inherent to Yahshua’s iron-fisted rule,
but greed and the lust for power will take over as it always does in the hearts of those
who do not have His Spirit; climaxing in the assault upon Jerusalem when Satan is
released from his prison at the end of the thousand year reign (Revelation 20:7-9).
The most interesting of presents to be handed to Yahshua in the Millennium could be
the one that comes from the people of Ethiopia, who are specifically mentioned at this
time (and usually with Egypt, which could be significant as we shall see).
ISAIAH 18: 7
In that time shall be brought to YHVH of Hosts the present from a terrifying, a tall and
smooth people, from it and onward; a mighty and trampling nation whose land the rivers have
divided, to the place of the name of YHVH of Hosts, Mount Zion.
This is from a prophecy pronouncing woe on Ethiopia (a nation that in the 8th century
BC had become so powerful that for fourteen years it had overrun and gained full
control of Egypt). Yet it is mentioned in prophecy as delivering a gift to the Messiah in
Mount Zion during the Millennium, whilst the Psalmist speaks of Ethiopia reaching out
to God at this time along with the princes of Egypt.
PSALM 68: 29-32
Because of Your temple in Jerusalem, kings shall bring a present to You. Rebuke the wild
beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples, trampling down with the
pieces of silver. He scatters the people who delight in war. Princes shall come out of Egypt;
Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands to God. Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; O sing
praises to the Lord. Selah.
It has to be said that the following is conjecture, but it has been reasoned from histories
both secular and scriptural that the Ark of the Covenant was secreted to Egypt at some
point prior to the Babylonian captivity, and was then removed by the Ethiopians at a
later date. Certainly the last time the Ark is mentioned in scripture is during the reign
of Josiah a few decades before Babylon took away all the treasures of the temple. There
is no Biblical mention of the Ark in Judah’s possession after this date, even after King
Cyrus returned all the treasures for the Jews’ second temple.
51
It is interesting to note that the Shekinah Glory never came to dwell in the second temple
as it did with the first, which would seem to indicate that this manifestation of the Glory
of God was intrinsically tied to the Ark of the Covenant. As the Shekinah Glory left the
original temple six years before it was destroyed in judgment (Ezekiel 10-11) it would
appear that this was the moment the Ark was carried out of Judah to Egypt for
safekeeping. Then at some further point in history the Ark would have been taken to
Ethiopia. Today the Ethiopians claim to have had the Ark in their possession for over
twenty-four hundred years (hidden by a line of guardians who claim to be descended
from the Levites) to keep it safe until the Messiah returns.
The idea that the Ark is to be delivered to the Messiah can be supported from the
following account in the book of Acts.
ACTS 8: 26-29
And the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south, on the
way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is a deserted place. And he arose and went.
And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the
Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasure and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was
returning. And sitting in his chariot he read Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go
near and join yourself to this chariot.
The account goes on to say that the eunuch was having difficulty understanding a
passage of scripture from Isaiah, in which the death of the Messiah is being described.
It is believed by some that the eunuch, who is noted as being great in authority under
the queen of the Ethiopians and in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to
deliver the Ark of the Covenant to the Messiah! But when the eunuch learnt that the
Messiah had been killed, he was obviously confused. Once Phillip had explained Who
the Messiah was, the salvation that He brought, and that this generation was not the one
in which the Kingdom would be restored to Israel, the eunuch was able to return home
rejoicing as a believer, with the Ark still secreted away in his chariot.
Again it must be stressed that the reason for the eunuch’s visit is conjecture, but we
must otherwise wonder why the Holy Spirit chose to inform us of what charge the
eunuch possessed; if this was simply an account to show us how the gospel was
delivered to Ethiopia, then why mention that the eunuch was in charge of all the queen’s
treasures? Why not stop at simply informing us that he was great in authority before
her? No word is ever wasted in the Bible; all of them are God-breathed and are there
for a reason.
Now why would it be important that the Ark of the Covenant be delivered to Yahshua
during the Millennium? This is an important question to ask especially when we
consider the following segment of scripture:
JEREMIAH 3: 16-17
52
And it will be when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says YHVH,
they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of YHVH! Nor shall it come to mind; nor shall
they remember it; nor shall they visit it; nor shall it be made [carried] any more. At that time
they shall call Jerusalem the throne of YHVH; and all nations shall be gathered to it, to the name
of YHVH, to Jerusalem. Nor shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
The Ark of the Covenant will no longer be the focus of people’s attention. Why?
Because the very Son of God in the form of Yahshua the Messiah will be in Jerusalem;
a greater glory than the Shekinah Glory (Haggai 2:9). The Ark will not need to be sought
out in order for God to be heard, or carried into battle for the presence of God to go
before them, because God Himself will be with them in the personage of Yahshua. But
it is important to recall from earlier in this book (page 39) that the Shekinah Glory will
also return to Israel at the beginning of the Millennium, which may necessitate the
return of the Ark of the Covenant to which it appears to be tied.
And there is possibly another purpose for the Ark, which could be to serve as a physical
support for the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:10-22) upon which Yahshua will sit as King,
Judge and Lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22).
EZEKIEL 43: 4-7
And the glory of YHVH came into the house by the way of the gate whose view is eastward.
And the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner chamber. And behold, the glory of
YHVH filled the house. And I heard Him speaking to me from the house. And standing by me
was a Man. And He said to me, Son of man, the house of Israel shall no more defile the place
of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons
of Israel forever; neither they, nor their kings, by their fornication, nor by the dead bodies of
their kings in their high places.
Jeremiah calls Jerusalem the “throne of Yahweh” in 3:17 (above) because it is the place
where God’s throne will be and where His feet will rest when He is sitting in judgement.
Thus it is that blood was sprinkled both on the mercy seat and at the foot of it, to
foreshadow the future King Who by His own atoning blood would sit upon the throne
of Israel and find us worthy to come before Him as rulers and priests.
LEVITICUS 16: 13-15
And he shall put the incense on the fire before YHVH. And the cloud of the incense shall
cover the mercy-seat that is on the Testimony. And he shall not die. And he shall take of the
blood of the young bull and shall sprinkle with his finger on the front of the mercy-seat
eastward. And he shall sprinkle at the front of the mercy-seat seven times from the blood with
his finger. Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people, and bring its blood
inside the veil. And he shall do with that blood as he did with the blood of the young bull, and
sprinkle it on the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat.
The point being made is that if the sprinkling of sacrificial blood upon and before the
mercy-seat and the Ark of the Covenant was foreshadowing the reign of Yahshua upon
His throne in Israel, then both objects may be more than symbols and constitute the
very throne itself. The Ark of the Covenant would thus not come to mind if God Himself
was sitting over it, drawing all our attention solely to Himself in His glory.
53
There is one final support for the Ark of the Covenant being returned to Jerusalem for
the Millennium, which comes from taking an overview of the comings and goings of
God between the temple, the Mount of Olives, and heaven (the diagram below is best
viewed at a zoom level of 125%).
It can be seen that there is a sequential chiasmatic structure for these comings and
goings. It would appear that the Holy Spirit cannot come back to dwell in Israel as the
Shekinah Glory until the Ark of the Covenant has been delivered to Yahshua for His
throne in the temple. Some might say that the passage in Ezekiel 43 speaks only of the
return of the Messiah in His glory - but verse 3 indirectly tells us that it is the Shekinah
Glory as it was at the time it left. And for those who believe this passage from Ezekiel
43 details the Shekinah Glory returning before the Messiah, it is worth pointing out that
verses 6-7 do not speak of the Messiah’s return but simply note that He is already there.
It makes sense that the Shekinah Glory will not return until the Messiah that Judah
rejected is accepted at His return.
The departure of the Shekinah Glory led to the destruction of the first temple and the
captivity to Babylon, whilst the departure of Yahshua led to the destruction of the
second temple and captivity into all the nations of the Earth. But the return of both
Yahshua and the Shekinah Glory will result in the ingathering of Israel and Judah back
into the land.
Whether the Ark of the Covenant has any place in the New Millennial temple or not,
scripture does clearly establish that Yahshua will rule from His throne in Jerusalem
during this time. So it remains to be seen what place King David will have in the
Kingdom.
JEREMIAH 30: 7-9
Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but
he shall be saved out of it. For it shall be in that day, says YHVH of Hosts, I will break his yoke
from your neck and will burst your bonds. And strangers shall no longer enslave him, but they
shall serve YHVH their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up to them.
54
Some scholars claim, whilst others contest, that when King David is mentioned
prophetically in scripture, it is really Yahshua who is being spoken of as the seed of
David. This debate centres on the Davidic Covenant, which was the promise made to
David that a descendant of his would sit on the throne of Israel forever (2 Samuel 7 and
1 Chronicles 17). This did not mean that the earthly kingdom of Israel would always
stand, for the manifestation of the kingdom was always conditional (2 Chronicles 6:16),
but it did mean that whenever a king sat on the throne in Jerusalem it would be a
descendant of David’s line. So when the monarchy is restored to Israel in the
Millennium, it’s king will be from David’s lineage, thus establishing his throne
(dynasty) forever (2 Samuel 7:16). But at no point in these prophecies does God say that
David himself would sit on the throne. There can only be one King and one Shepherd
over Israel during the Millennium, and Yahshua Himself takes responsibility for this
cause.
EZEKIEL 34: 20-31
For so says the Lord YHVH: Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.
As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek
out My sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the
cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the
lands, and will bring them to their own land and feed them on the mountain of Israel by the
rivers, and in all the places of the land where people live. I will feed them in a good pasture,
and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie in a good fold, and in
a fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will cause
them to lie down, says the Lord YHVH. I will seek the lost, and bring again those driven away,
and will bind up the broken, and will strengthen the sick. But I will destroy the fat and the
strong; I will feed them with judgment. And you, My flock, says the Lord YHVH: Behold, I judge
between lamb and lamb, between rams and he-goats. Is it a small thing to you to have eaten
up the good pasture, but you must trample the rest of your pastures with your feet? And to
have drunk of the clear waters, but you must foul the rest with your feet? And My flock, they
eat what your feet have trampled, and they drink what your feet have fouled. So the Lord YHVH
says this to them: Behold I Myself will even judge between the fat lamb and the lean lamb.
Because you have thrust with side and with shoulder, and have pushed all the weak with your
horns until you have scattered them to the outside, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall
no more be a prey. And I will judge between lamb and lamb. And I will set up one Shepherd
over them, and He shall feed them, My servant David. He shall feed them, and He shall be their
Shepherd. And I YHVH will be their God, and My servant David a ruler among them. I YHVH have
spoken. And I will make a covenant of peace with them, and will send the evil beasts out of the
land. And they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them,
and the places around My hill, a blessing; and I will bring down the shower in its season. There
shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall
yield her increase. And they shall be safe in their land, and they shall know that I am YHVH,
when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and have delivered them out of the hands of those
who enslaved them. And no more shall they be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beast of the
land eat them. But they shall dwell safely, and none shall terrify them. And I will raise up for
them a noted planting place, and they shall never again be of those gathered by famine in the
land, nor shall they bear the shame of the nations any more. And they shall know that I, YHVH
their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord YHVH.
And you My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord YHVH.
55
Yahshua is both our God and King, and so at times it seems that He speaks of Himself
in the third person (which as God in three persons, He can legitimately do) to distinguish
between these roles. And if there is only one Shepherd then it must be Yahshua, as
testified in Isaiah 40:11, as we saw on page 43.
It's also worth noting that Yahweh never desired for Israel to have a king other than
Himself.
1 SAMUEL 12: 7-12
And now stand still, so that I may reason with you before YHVH of all the righteous acts of
YHVH which He did to you and to your fathers. When Jacob had come into Egypt, and your
fathers cried to YHVH, then YHVH sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt
and made them live in this place. And they forgot YHVH their God. And He sold them into the
hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the
hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. And they cried to YHVH, and said, We
have sinned because we have forsaken YHVH, and have served the Baals and Ashtoreths. But
now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You. And YHVH sent Jerubbaal,
and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on
every side, and you lived safely. And when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon
came against you, you said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us, even though YHVH your
God was your King.
So the twelve apostles will be lords of the twelve tribes of Israel, but there will not be
a king or a prince between themselves and Yahshua their King. David’s throne is
Yahshua’s throne, the throne in Jerusalem. A throne that will likely be the mercy seat
atop the Ark of the Covenant, just as it was in the house of God in ancient Israel. No
man sat upon it then, not David, nor any of his sons, and none will sit upon it until
Yahshua returns to claim the birthright of His earthly kingdom.
EZEKIEL 37: 15-28
And the Word of YHVH came to me, saying, And you, son of man, take a stick and write on
it, For Judah and for his companions, the sons of Israel. And take another stick and write on it,
For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions. And join them to
one another into one stick. And they shall become one in your hand. And when the sons of your
people shall speak to you, saying, Will you not declare to us what these mean to you? Say to
them, So says the Lord YHVH: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of
56
Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions, and I will put them with him, with the stick
of Judah, and will make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand. And the sticks on
which you write shall be in your hand before their eyes. And say to them, So says the Lord
YHVH: Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and
will gather them on every side, and will bring them into their own land. And I will make them
one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel, and one King shall be king to them all. And
they shall not still be two nations, nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.
Nor shall they be defiled with their idols, even with their filthy idols, nor with all of their
transgressions. But I will save them out of all their dwelling places, in them where they sinned,
and will cleanse them. And they shall be to Me for a people, and I will be to them for God. And
David My servant shall be King over them. And there shall be one Shepherd to all of them. And
they shall walk in My judgments, and obey My Laws, and do them. And they shall dwell in the
land that I have given to Jacob My servant, the land in which your fathers have lived. And they
shall dwell in it, even they and their sons, and the sons of their sons for ever. And My servant
David shall be their ruler forever. And I will cut a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an
everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them, and multiply them, and will set My
sanctuary in their midst forever. And My tabernacle shall be with them. Yea, I will be their God,
and they shall be My people. And the nations shall know that I YHVH sanctify Israel, when My
sanctuary shall be in their midst forever.
Here again we see that the prophetic David is indeed Yahshua, reigning over all of Israel
after regathering the lost tribes and reuniting them with Judah. That Yahshua is the
Shepherd King who reunites the tribes is also clear from the New Testament.
JOHN 10: 14-16
I am the Good Shepherd, and I know those that are Mine, and I am known by those who
are Mine. Even as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father. And I lay down My life for the
sheep. And I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must also lead those, and they shall
hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd.
The “other sheep who are not of this fold” does not refer to the Gentiles as has often
been contended, but rather to the lost tribes of Israel. These tribes were taken into
captivity by the Assyrians more than a hundred years before the Jews were carried away
captive by the Babylonians. The difference between the two captivities is that the Jews
returned to the land of Israel seventy years later and retained their heritage, whereas the
lost tribes were assimilated into all the nations and never returned. This is because
Yahweh divorced the northern (lost) tribes but kept faith with Judah because of the
Davidic Covenant. Yet after Yahshua was rejected at His incarnation by the Jewish
leadership (who spoke for the house of Judah), the Jews were scattered again and
Yahshua turned His attention back to the lost tribes of Israel; the sheep not of the fold
(house) of Judah. This was the good news; that those who had been divorced were now
being entreated to return to Yahweh as Jeremiah had prophesised.
JEREMIAH 3: 8-14
And I saw, when for all the causes for which backsliding Israel committed adultery, I sent
her away and gave a bill of divorce to her, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she
went and whored, she also. And it happened, from the folly of her whoredom, she defiled the
57
land and fornicated with stones and stocks. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has
not turned to Me with her whole heart, but with falsehood, says YHVH. And YHVH said to me,
The backsliding Israel has justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Go and cry these
words toward the north, and say, Return, O backsliding Israel, says YHVH; and I will not cause
My anger to fall on you; for I am merciful, says YHVH, and I will not keep anger forever. Only
acknowledge your iniquity, that you have sinned against YHVH your God and have scattered
your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, says
YHVH. Turn, O backsliding sons, says YHVH; for I am married to you; and I will take you one from
a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
We should note that Yahweh says that He is still married to Israel (v14), even though
He had divorced her (v8). Contrary to common belief, divorce does not annul a
marriage, because once two have become one flesh they are indivisible. Thus if a
divorced spouse remarries, then they are still committing adultery (Mark 10:11-12).
Although Yahshua allows remarriage in the case of adultery having already been
committed (Matthew 5:32) this doesn’t change the fact that the original marriage still
stands (Romans 7:3). Only death can truly annul a marriage (Romans 7:2). So whilst
Yahweh did for a while put Israel away, He did not keep His anger forever, and through
His death and resurrection He is calling them back to Him.
So if the sheep of another fold refers to the house of Israel, what does this mean for the
Gentiles? Didn’t Yahshua also come to save the Gentiles? The answer to this is both
yes and no, depending on our understanding of the identity of both Israel and the
Gentiles. First consider the following passage.
MATTHEW 15: 22-28
And behold, a woman of Canaan coming out of these borders cried to Him, saying, Have
mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is grievously vexed with a demon. But He did
not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, Send her away, for she
cries after us. But He answered and said, I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me! But He answered and said, It
is not good to take the children's bread and to throw it to dogs. And she said, True, O Lord; but
even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' tables. Then Jesus answered
and said to her, O woman, great is your faith! So be it to you even as you wish. And her daughter
was healed from that very hour.
Yahshua clearly tells us that He only came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel
(which in the context includes Judah as well, for both were formerly the same house),
and this is why He ignores the woman of Canaan (a Gentile). But then she worships
Him (v25) and at this point He turns His face to her and explains that only the children
(of God) receive the blessings of God, not the dogs (the unclean Gentiles).
Understanding this, the woman identifies herself as a little dog with a master (a
converted Gentile, v27), and so Yahshua blesses her because of her faith.
What we see happening in this encounter is a portrayal of how the Gentiles receive the
blessings of God, which is by joining with Israel, just as Ruth joined herself to Naomi
by taking the God of Israel to be her God. Yahshua only came to save those who
willingly join with the people of God, looking to repent from their sins as they pledge
to follow His ways; only by attempting to follow God’s laws can we be justified by the
One Who kept them perfectly for us and died to pay for our failure to do so. And we
should remember that the Covenant which allows us to follow God’s laws is only
applicable to the houses of Israel and Judah.
JEREMIAH 31: 31-34
58
Behold, the days come, says YHVH, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the
day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine
they broke, although I was a husband to them, says YHVH; but this shall be the covenant that I
will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says YHVH, I will put My Law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they
shall no more teach each man his neighbour and each man his brother, saying, Know YHVH; for
they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says YHVH. For I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.
So Gentiles are those who remain separate from God, whereas a former Gentile who
joins with Israel is no longer a Gentile but an Israelite. Likewise, an ethnic Israelite is
separated from Israel if he does not personally pledge to follow God’s ways.
ROMANS 2: 28-29
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that outwardly in flesh; but
he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart; in spirit and not in letter;
whose praise is not from men, but from God.
That Yahshua was sent only to the lost house of Israel is why James wrote specifically
to the twelve tribes scattered abroad (James 1:1). He did not write to Gentiles but to the
scattered Israelites, and only if the Gentiles joined to those who believed would they
then become beneficiaries of His word. Yahshua’s plan is to gather all the elect from
every nation, tribe, and tongue, through the body of Israel, His body, which is the
Church (the Greek word for Church carries the same meaning as the Hebrew word for
Assembly). Thus James said that the apostles did not need to worry about teaching
converted Gentiles the laws of God, because these converts would receive it from the
Israelites to whom they joined with in their own lands; all the converts needed at the
time of conversion was some basic instructions to help keep them separate from their
previous pagan religions.
ACTS 15: 19-21
Therefore my judgment is that we do not trouble those who have turned to God from
among the nations, but that we write to them that they should abstain from pollutions of idols,
and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses from ages past has
those in every city proclaiming him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
Now it makes sense why Paul was sent by the Spirit of Messiah to Europe on His
missionary journeys, rather than Africa or Asia, because these are the primary nations
into which the lost tribes of Israel were assimilated in the centuries before Christ. Paul
was commissioned to present the good news to the Nations (note that the same Greek
word is translated either as Gentiles or Nations depending on the context). Paul was not
sent to Gentile men and women, but to the lost house of Israel amongst them. If Gentiles
joined themselves to the house of Israel as a result of his preaching then all the better,
but from that point on they ceased to be Gentiles, having been called out from the
Nations as was originally the case with Israel (Acts 15:13-14).
59
But just like national Israel, the Church floundered and fell into paganism under the
mystery of iniquity. So it wasn’t until after the Reformation had occurred that the Great
Commission could continue, and it did so by means of the European (Israelite) Empires,
taking the gospel to the rest of the world in order to gather out every last descendant
from the northern tribes as well as every Gentile who also comes to Christ (read Genesis
48:14 to 49:28 to understand that ethnic Israel would be more than just one nation).
Thus we see Yahweh’s marvellous hand at work; the tribes of Israel were scattered
throughout the world, so that when God called them back to Him many centuries later,
they would be perfectly positioned to preach Christ and His commandments to all the
Gentiles around them, sweeping them up in the same net, and ushering in the greatest
harvest ever seen. And it is only when all the descendants of the lost tribes have been
exposed to the gospel that the time of the Gentiles (Nations) will be at an end (Luke
21:24, Romans 11:25-26) and the world can be judged and the kingdom of Israel restored.
The end of the time of the Gentiles will culminate with Judah returning to their Messiah
and becoming one with the house of Israel once again. Opinions vary as to whether this
has already begun, but at the very least preparations have begun for the Jews to be rejoined to the body of Israel (a claim based on the Jews’ return to both the land and to
Jerusalem, as well as the growing Messianic movement as Jews accept Yahshua as the
Messiah).
Thus there will be One Shepherd over both Israel and Judah, when all the elect from
both houses have turned to their Messiah, ushering in the Millennium.
HOSEA 1: 10-11
Yet the number of the sons of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be
measured nor numbered. And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, You are not
My people, there it shall be said to them, You are the sons of the living God. Then the sons of
Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together, and shall set over themselves one head,
and they shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the day of Jezreel.
As has already been stated earlier in this book, all believers will thus come to live in
the land of Israel as one body.
JEREMIAH 3: 18
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come
together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance to your
fathers.
ISAIAH 49: 8-23
60
So says YHVH, in a favourable time I replied to You, and in a day of salvation I have helped
You; and I will preserve You, and give You for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth,
to cause them to inherit the wasted inheritances; that You may say to the prisoners, Go out!
To those who are in darkness, Show yourselves! They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures
shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; nor shall the heat nor sun strike
them; for He who has mercy on them shall lead them; even by the springs of water He shall
guide them. And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be set on high.
Behold, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these
from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break out into singing, O
mountains; for the Lord has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted. But
Zion said, YHVH has forsaken me, and my LORD has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her
suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may
forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have carved you on the palms of My hands; your walls
are forever before Me. Your sons shall make haste; those destroying you and ruining you shall
go out from you. Lift up your eyes all around and see; they all gather and come to you. As I live,
says YHVH, you shall surely wear them as an ornament, and bind them on as a bride. For your
wastes and your deserted places, and your land of ruins, shall even now be too narrow to dwell
there, and they who swallowed you up shall be far away. The sons of your bereavement shall
yet say in your ears, The place is too narrow for me; come near to me so that I may dwell. Then
you shall say in your heart, Who has borne me these, since I am bereaved, and desolate, turned
aside and an exile, and who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were
they? So says the Lord YHVH, Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and have set up My
banner to the people; and they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall
be carried on their shoulders. And kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their queens your
nurses. They shall bow to you, faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall
know that I am YHVH; by whom they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.
The Jews may initially doubt that they can support all their brethren, especially in a
land that will have been devastated by the Antichrist’s attack on Israel some years
earlier. But the cities will be rebuilt, and the land will extend much further than it does
today (Ezekiel 48).
ISAIAH 26: 15
You have increased the nation, O YHVH, You have increased the nation; You are glorified;
You have extended all the ends of the land.
ISAIAH 54: 1-10
Rejoice, O unfruitful one that never bore; break out a song and shout, you who never
travailed. For more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married woman, says
YHVH. Make the place of your tent larger, and let them stretch out the curtains of your
dwellings. Do not spare, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes; for you shall break
out on the right hand and on the left. And your seed shall inherit the nations, and people will
inhabit ruined cities. Do not fear; for you shall not be ashamed, nor shall you blush; for you
shall not be put to shame; for you shall forget the shame of your youth, and shall not remember
the reproach of your widowhood any more. For your Maker is your husband; YHVH of Hosts is
His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be
61
called. For YHVH has called you as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth,
when you were rejected, says your God. For a little moment I have left you; but with great
mercies I will gather you. In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with
everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says YHVH your Redeemer. For this is as the
waters of Noah to Me; for as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn from being angry with you and from rebuking you. For the mountains shall
depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall the
covenant of My peace be removed, says YHVH who has mercy on you.
And because the land of Israel as promised to Abraham will encompass other modernday countries, the prophets speak of these nations as being joined to Israel.
ZECHARIAH 2: 10-13
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For lo, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, says
YHVH. And many nations shall be joined to YHVH in that day, and shall be My people; and I will
dwell in your midst, and you shall know that YHVH of Hosts has sent me to you. And YHVH shall
possess Judah, His portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. Be silent, all flesh,
before YHVH; for He has risen out of His holy dwelling place.
Most of these nations will be directly around Israel, such as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria,
etc.
ISAIAH 11: 10-14
And in that day there shall be the Root of Jesse standing for a banner of the people; to Him
the nations shall seek; and His resting place shall be glorious. And it shall be in that day, the
Lord shall again set His hand, the second time, to recover the remnant of His people that
remains, from Assyria and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Ethiopia, and from Persia,
and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the coasts of the sea. And He shall lift up a banner
for the nations, and shall gather the outcasts of Israel and gather together the scattered ones
of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the foes
of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not trouble Ephraim.
But they shall fly on the shoulders of the Philistines to the west; they shall spoil the sons of the
east together; they shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; and the sons of Ammon shall obey
them.
OBADIAH 17-21
But upon Mount Zion shall be those who escaped; and it shall be holy. And the house of
Jacob shall possess their own possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house
of Joseph a flame. And the house of Esau shall be for stubble. And they shall kindle in them and
burn them up. And no survivor shall be to the house of Esau; for YHVH has spoken it. And those
of the south shall possess the mountain of Esau and the low country of the Philistines. And they
shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
And the exiles of this army shall go to the sons of Israel who shall possess the land of the
Canaanites to Zarephath; even the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the
cities of the south. And deliverers shall go up into the mountain of Zion to judge the mountain
of Esau; and the kingdom shall be to YHVH.
The most noteworthy nations that become part of greater Israel however are Egypt and
Assyria – Israel’s two greatest historical enemies (Assyria includes the land of
Babylon).
ISAIAH 19: 16-25
62
In that day Egypt shall be like women; and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking
of the hand of YHVH of Hosts, which He shakes over it. And the land of Judah shall be a terror
to Egypt; everyone who mentions it shall be afraid toward it, because of the purpose of YHVH
of Hosts, which He has purposed against it. In that day five cities in the land of Egypt shall speak
the language of Canaan and swear to YHVH of Hosts; one shall be called the City of Ruin. In that
day there shall be an altar to YHVH in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at its border
to YHVH. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness to YHVH of Hosts in the land of Egypt. For
they shall cry to YHVH because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a deliverer, and a
great one, and will deliver them. And YHVH shall be known to Egypt, and Egypt shall know YHVH
in that day, and shall offer sacrifice and offering; and vow a vow to YHVH, and repay. And YHVH
shall strike Egypt; He shall strike and heal; and they shall return to YHVH, and He shall hear
them and shall heal them. In that day there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and
Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt shall serve with Assyria. In that
day Israel shall be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land;
whom YHVH of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be My people Egypt, and Assyria the work of
My hands, and Israel My inheritance.
Egypt and Assyria have to become part of the land of Israel in order to fulfil the land
covenant made to Abraham (Genesis 15:18). A great highway will be built linking Israel,
Egypt and Assyria together. As well as allowing believers to move freely around greater
Israel, this highway will also serve to facilitate the passage of survivors of the Great
Tribulation from those parts of Assyria and Egypt beyond greater Israel’s river borders
of the Euphrates and the Nile.
JOEL 3: 19-21
Egypt shall be a ruin, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, from violence done to the
sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they poured out in their land. But Judah will dwell forever,
and Jerusalem to generation and generation. And I will cleanse their blood which I did not
cleanse; and YHVH is dwelling in Zion.
ISAIAH 27: 13
And it shall be, in that day the great ram's horn shall be blown, and those perishing in the
land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt shall come and shall worship
YHVH in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
ISAIAH 11: 15 - 12: 6
And YHVH shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with His scorching wind
He shall shake His hand over the River, and shall strike it into seven streams, and make one
tread it with shoes. And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, those left from
Assyria; as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. And in that day
you shall say, O YHVH, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, turn away Your anger,
and You shall comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid for the
LORD YHVH is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation. And with joy you
shall draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day you shall say, Praise YHVH! Call
on His name; declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted.
Sing to YHVH; for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout,
O dweller of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst.
63
God will literally drain the Nile, so that people can cross over by foot from the ruins of
Western Egypt into greater Israel. And a highway will extend from Eastern Assyria, so
that those fleeing from the destruction of Babylon can also find salvation in greater
Israel. Truly no one will be able to stay in Babylon when the Antichrist’s empire has
been destroyed and the land forever cursed.
ISAIAH 13: 19 - 14: 27
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the majestic beauty of the Chaldees, shall be as when
God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited forever, nor shall it be lived
in from generation to generation; nor shall the Arabian pitch his tent there; nor shall the
shepherds make their flocks lie down there. But the wild beasts of the desert shall lie there;
and their houses shall be full of howling creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and he-goats
shall dance there. And hyenas shall cry along with his widows, and jackals in palaces of delight.
Yea, her time is coming near, and her days shall not be prolonged. For YHVH will have mercy
on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land; and the stranger shall be
joined with them, and they shall cling to the house of Jacob. And the peoples shall take them
and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of YHVH
for slaves and slave girls. And they shall be captives of their captors; and they shall rule over
their oppressors. And it shall be in the day that YHVH shall give you rest from your sorrow, and
from your fear, and from the hard bondage which was pressed on you, you shall take up this
song against the king of Babylon and say, How the exacter, the gold gatherer has ceased! YHVH
has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers who struck peoples in wrath, a
blow without turning away, ruling the nations in anger, a persecution without restraint. All the
earth is at rest and is quiet; they break out into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at you, the
cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since you have fallen, no woodcutter will come up against us. Hell
from below is moved for you, to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, all the
he-goats of the earth. It has raised from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All of them
shall speak and say to you, Are you also as weak as we? Are you like us? Your pride is brought
down to the grave, and the noise of your harps. The maggot is spread under you, and the worms
cover you. How you are fallen from the heavens, O shining star, son of the morning! How you
are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart, I
will go up to the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will go up above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the Pit. Those
who see you shall stare and closely watch you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth to
tremble; who shook kingdoms; who made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed its cities;
who did not open the house for his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie
in glory, every one in his own house. But you are cast out of your grave like a hateful branch,
and like the clothing of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the
stones of the pit; like a dead body trampled under foot. You shall not be joined with them in
burial, because you ruined your land and killed your people; the seed of evildoers shall never
be famous. Prepare slaughter for his sons, because of the iniquity of their fathers, so that they
64
do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against
them, says YHVH of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and son, and
grandson, says YHVH. I will also make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water; and
I will sweep it with the broom of ruin, says YHVH of Hosts. YHVH of Hosts has sworn, saying,
Surely as I have thought, so it shall come to pass; and as I have purposed, it shall stand; to break
Assyria in My land, and on My mountains, trample him under foot. Then his yoke shall be
removed from them, and his burden shall be taken off their shoulders. This is the purpose that
is purposed on all the earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out on all the nations. For
YHVH of Hosts has purposed, and who shall reverse it? And His hand is stretched out, and who
shall turn it back?
Although Western Assyria will constitute part of greater Israel, yet the inhabitants of
these lands will become servant-slaves to the redeemed, as will the inhabitants of
Eastern Egypt (unlike the people of the other nations who will be free to live their lives
as long as they come to Jerusalem for the yearly feasts).
ISAIAH 31: 7-8
For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your
hands have made for you, a sin. Then Assyria shall fall with the sword, not of great man; and
the sword, not of lowly man, shall devour him. For he shall flee from the sword, and his young
men shall become forced labour.
ISAIAH 45: 14-16
So says YHVH, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia [Cush – ancient Egypt],
and of the Sabeans [from Cush], men of stature, shall come to you, and they shall be yours.
They shall come after you in chains; and they shall cross in chains and they shall fall down to
you. They shall plead to you, saying, Surely God is in you; and none else, no other God. Truly
You are a God who hides Yourself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. They shall be ashamed, and also
confounded, all of them; they who are makers of idols shall go into disgrace together.
The Egyptians and Assyrians will be forced to serve God’s people in recompense for
all the evils they committed against them during the Tribulation. Yet it seems that many
of them will welcome it, for the chance to serve and live.
If the idea of slavery in any respect seems inhumane, then we must remember that this
is only because we have an inverted mindset in this modern world when it comes to
human rights and responsibilities; contrary to modern secular opinion, we have no
inalienable rights, but rather a responsibility to serve God and each other. We are His
creation, and He is the only one Who has any rights, whilst any rights He does give us
are conditional. So rather than admonish slavery, the law of God teaches us when it is
acceptable to take slaves, for in all things He desires for us to be righteous, even in
those matters which are not ideal but are necessary due to the sinful world around us.
Now slavery was never meant to be about colonialism or influenced by racism, and it
is certainly not meant for making merchandise of men. These forms of slavery are
rightly denounced by God (1 Timothy 1:10). It was about keeping the Israelites free from
both the physical and spiritual subjugation of the godless nations around them (thus it
does not apply to the age we live in today, but it will again in the Millennial reign of
our Messiah). If foreigners came and dwelt among Israel and multiplied among them
without adopting the worship of Yahweh, then in time these foreigners would represent
a threat to the national identity by rising up and imposing their own laws upon God's
people (just as Pharaoh was concerned the Hebrews would change the national identity
and power-structure of Egypt). But if foreigners came to dwell in Israel and willingly
joined themselves to God's people by becoming believers, then they became partakers
of the God-given right of freedom from slavery.
65
DEUTERONOMY 24: 7
If a man is found stealing a person of his brothers, the sons of Israel, and makes a slave of
him, or sells him, then that thief shall die. And you shall put evil away from among you.
LEVITICUS 25: 39-43
And if your brother who lives beside you has become poor, and is sold to you, you shall not
compel him to serve as a bond-servant. As a hired servant, as a temporary resident, he shall be
with you, and shall serve you until the year of jubilee. And he shall depart from you, he and his
sons with him, and shall return to his own family. And he shall return to the possession of his
fathers. For they are My servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. They shall not
be sold as a slave. You shall not rule over him with rigor, but shall fear your God.
LEVITICUS 19: 33-34
And if a stranger lives with you in your land, you shall not oppress him. The stranger that
dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself. For
you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am YHVH your God.
It is important to note that the Hebrew word translated above as "stranger" is derived
from "guest" and thus gives the meaning of one who is welcome; one who has joined
themselves to Israel as a worshipper of Yahweh. But the word translated below as
"tenant" has the meaning of "dweller" and speaks of a non-native who retains their own
identity.
LEVITICUS 25: 44-46
Both your male slaves, and your female slaves whom you shall have, shall be of the nations
that are all around you. You shall buy male slaves and female slaves from them. And also you
may buy of the sons of the tenants who are staying with you; and from their families that are
with you, whom they fathered in your land. And they shall be your possession. And you shall
take them as an inheritance for your sons after you, to hold for a possession; you may lay service
on them forever. But you shall not rule over your brothers, the sons of Israel, over one another,
with harshness.
In the King James version of the Bible these two different Hebrew words are both
translated as "stranger," which can generate a contradiction unless one understands the
context involved.
Thus there will be slaves from amongst the nations who persecuted Israel during the
Great Tribulation who are made to serve God's people. Should they at any time repent
from their wickedness, then they will gain their freedom as was the case with Onesimus,
a slave whom Paul returned to Philemon after the slave's conversion.
PHILEMON 1: 15-16
For perhaps because of this he was separated from you for an hour, that you should receive
him eternally, not now as a slave, but beyond a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but
how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
66
But even if slaves do not repent, then they are still be treated well, as can be seen from
the imperative to allow them to rejoice in the Feast of Tabernacles.
DEUTERONOMY 16: 13-14
You shall keep the Feast of Tabernacles seven days after you have gathered in your grain
floor and your wine press. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you, and your son, and your
daughter, and your male slave, and your slave-girl, and the Levite, the stranger, and the
fatherless, and the widow inside your gates.
The invitation to salvation (which the Feasts of Yahweh portray) is extended to
everyone, for physical bondage is almost nothing compared to the spiritual bondage we
all must be freed from.
1 CORINTHIANS 7: 21-24
Were you called as a slave? It does not matter to you, but if you are able to become free,
use it rather. For he who is called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise,
he who is called a free man is a slave of Christ. You are bought with a price, do not be the slaves
of men. Each in whatever way he was called, brothers, in this remain with God.
COLOSSIANS 3: 9-11
Do not lie to one another, having put off the old man with his deeds and having put on the
new, having been renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian,
slave or freeman, but Christ is all things in all.
EPHESIANS 6: 5-9
Slaves, obey your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of
your heart, as to Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men
(knowing that whatever good thing he does, he shall receive the same from the Lord, whether
he is a slave or a freeman). And masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threatening,
knowing that your Master also is in Heaven. There is no respect of persons with Him.
It is certain that the slaves bought by Israel will not be abused or subjected to the cruelty
with which they themselves were made to suffer. The slavery allowed by God is not
born out of ill-will but out of a righteous concern for His people.
Now despite the size of greater Israel, the core of Israel will hold special significance
as the Lord’s inheritance (Isaiah 19:25), because this is where the Lord’s people will
dwell (as detailed in Ezekiel 48) whilst the conquered peoples will serve them from the
rest of Israel’s territory.
67
In addition to the servitude of the conquered nations around Israel, all of the other
subjected nations in the world will serve the earthly kingdom of God, bringing the best
of what they have to build up Israel and make her glorious. Unlike the kingdom under
Solomon in 1 Kings, when Israel paid for the merchandise of the nations, in the
Millennium the nations will bring gifts and free servitude as a kind of secular tithe.
ISAIAH 59: 20 - 60: 16
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,
says YHVH. As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says YHVH; My Spirit that is on you, and
My Words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the
mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed, says YHVH, from now on and
forever. Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of YHVH has risen on you. For
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but YHVH shall rise
on you, and His glory shall be seen on you. And the nations shall come to your light, and kings
to the brightness of your dawning. Lift up your eyes all around, and see. All of them gather
themselves; they come to you. Your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be
nursed at your side. Then you shall fear and become bright, and your heart shall throb and swell
for joy; because the abundance of the sea shall turn to you, the wealth of the nations will come
to you. A host of camels shall cover you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. All of them from
Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall proclaim the praises of
YHVH. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall
minister to you. They shall come up on My altar pleasing Me, and I will glorify the house of My
glory. Who are these who fly like a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the
coastlands shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their
silver and their gold with them, to the name of YHVH your God, and to the Holy One of Israel,
because He has glorified you. And the sons of strangers will build up your walls, and their kings
will serve you; for in My wrath I struck you, but in My favour I had mercy on you. Therefore
your gates will always be open; they will not be shut day nor night, to bring to you the wealth
of the nations, and their kings may be led. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you
will perish. Yes, those nations will be completely wasted. The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and
I will make the place of My feet glorious. Also the sons of your afflicters shall come bowing to
you; and all your despisers will bow down at the soles of your feet. And they will call you, The
city of YHVH, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Instead of being forsaken and hated, so that
no one passes through, I will make you for everlasting majesty, a joy of many generations. You
will also suck the milk of nations, and suck the breast of kings; and you will know that I YHVH
am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
Whilst this is all future, yet the re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 marked
the beginning of the preparation for these times; a process that has already begun and
will continue until the promises have been fulfilled. Yahweh makes this point by
comparing Israel to a woman who gives birth. Firstly, Yahweh speaks of the birth of
Christ and/or the Body of Christ and the persecutions that followed (v7). Then He
speaks of the rebirth of the nation of Israel (v8) as Judah returns to the land, before it
experiences the labour pains (the Tribulation) afterwards.
ISAIAH 66: 5-14
68
Hear the Word of YHVH, you who tremble at His Word; your brothers who hated you, who
cast you out for My name's sake, said, Let YHVH be glorified. But He will appear to your joy, and
they will be ashamed. A sound of noise from the city, a sound from the temple, a sound of
YHVH repaying His enemies. Before she travailed, she gave birth; before her pain came, she
delivered a man child. Who has heard a thing like this? Who has seen things like these? Will
the earth be brought forth in one day? Or will a nation be born at once? For Zion travailed and
also brought forth her sons. Will I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth, says YHVH?
Surely I will cause birth and restrain, says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with
her, all who love her. Rejoice for joy with her, all who mourn for her; that you may suck and be
satisfied with her comforting breasts; that you may milk out and be delighted with the fullness
of her glory. For so says YHVH, Behold, I will hold out peace to her like a river, and the glory of
the nations like a flowing stream. Then you will suck, you will be carried on her sides and be
dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you will
be comforted in Jerusalem. And you will see, and your heart will rejoice, and your bones will
flourish like the grass. And the hand of YHVH will be known toward His servants, and His fury
toward His enemies.
Is this not always the case with the grace of God, that we receive many of His blessings
before we are even worthy (Romans 2:4)? And yet the greatest blessings remain for when
God’s people have been tried, tested and matured by His loving hand. And also unlike
the kingdom of Israel under Solomon, this future kingdom under Yahshua will never
fall, and Jerusalem will stand holy and undefiled forever.
DANIEL 2: 44
And in the days of these kings, the God of Heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never
be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other peoples, but it shall crush and destroy
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
ISAIAH 52: 1-12
Awake! Awake! Put on your strength, Zion; put on your beautiful robes, O Jerusalem, the
holy city. For never again shall come to you uncircumcised and unclean ones. Shake yourself
from the dust; rise up! Sit, Jerusalem! Free yourself from your neckbands, O captive daughter
of Zion. For so says YHVH, You were sold for nothing; and you shall not be redeemed with silver.
For so says the Lord YHVH, My people went down before into Egypt to stay there; and the
Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, says YHVH, that My
people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule make them howl, says YHVH; and without
ceasing My name is blasphemed every day. Therefore My people shall know My name; So it
shall be in that day, for I am He who speaks; behold, it is I. How beautiful on the mountains are
the feet of him who brings good tidings, making peace heard; who brings good news, making
salvation heard; who says to Zion, Your God reigns! The voice of Your watchmen shall lift up!
They lift up the voice together; they sing aloud. For they shall see eye to eye, when YHVH shall
bring again Zion. Break out, sing together, waste places of Jerusalem; for YHVH has comforted
His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem. YHVH has bared His holy arm in the eyes of all the
nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Turn! Turn! Go out
from there! Touch not the unclean. Go out of her midst; purify yourself, bearers of the vessels
of YHVH. For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for YHVH will go before you; and
the God of Israel gathers you.
69
Pure Knowledge. Healing waters from Jerusalem. Jerusalem Most High. New Heavens and Earth.
70
When the Great Tribulation is almost over (just prior to the bowls of wrath being
unleashed), the Church of Israel will have finally been prepared as a bride ready for her
Husband, and Yahshua will come to rapture His people.
EPHESIANS 5: 25-27
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might
present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that
it should be holy and without blemish.
This will set the foundation for the redemption of all creation.
ROMANS 8: 16-23
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if we
are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; so that if we suffer with
Him, we may also be glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed in us. For the earnest
expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was
not willingly subjected to vanity, but because of Him who subjected it on hope that the creation
itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until
now. And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, awaiting adoption, the redemption of our body.
However, the redemption of creation will be limited during the Millennium to the land
of Israel, which alone receives a new paradisiacal glory.
ISAIAH 65: 25
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust
will be the food of the snake. They will not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, says YHVH.
ISAIAH 11: 4-9
But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and shall decide with uprightness for the
meek of the earth. And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath
of His lips He shall slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of His heart. Also the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid; and the calf and the cub 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 suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of YHVH, as the waters cover
the sea.
71
We see that Isaiah speaks solely of Yahweh’s holy mountain (mount Zion and the
surrounding area). But this final verse as it is translated in most Bibles is confusing,
because the reason Isaiah gives for this lack of animal aggression is because the earth
is full of the knowledge of Yahweh; so why doesn’t he state that the whole earth will
be free from the pain and destruction of wild beasts? Why just Mount Zion?
Some may say that Isaiah is simply focusing on Zion, and that the whole world is also
benefiting from this change in the natural creation. The same might point to the
corresponding prophecy by Habakkuk, which does not include any mention of Zion.
HABAKKUK 2: 14
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of YHVH, as the waters cover
the sea.
But the word that is generally translated as “earth,” can also be translated as “land,”
depending on the context. And the context in Isaiah’s prophecy is Yahweh’s holy
mountain: Zion. And because Habakkuk followed Isaiah by about seventy years, it can
be ascertained that Habakkuk was simply quoting Isaiah’s prophecy, and therefore his
own words possess the same context. Indeed Habakkuk uses this prophecy in contrast
to the Antichrist, who will gather all nations to himself out of vanity, whereas the Lord
will gather all nations to Himself in Zion His holy mountain. Though not conclusive, it
does seem likely that both Isaiah and Habakkuk are therefore speaking of the land of
Israel, and not the whole earth. But there is more evidence…
The whole world cannot be full of the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh during the
Millennium, because to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh does not
mean that people will simply know of Him, but that they will be in compliance with
Him; they will be holy as He is holy. Yahshua equated eternal life with knowing God
(John 17:3); the intimate kind of knowledge that speaks of like-character. So the land
being filled with the knowledge of the glory of God means that it will be filled with
those who are holy, which will not be the case for the whole Earth at this time. We
should also note that the earth/land will be filled with the glory of the knowledge of
God as the “waters cover the sea;” but the waters are the sea, so the point being made
is that the area in question will be synonymous with the knowledge of the glory of God;
it will be holy, just as God is holy.
Thus the best translation for Isaiah 11:9 would appear to be that as found in the CEV
(Contemporary English Version) Bible:
ISAIAH 11: 9
Nothing harmful will take place on YHVH's holy mountain. Just as water fills the sea, the
land will be filled with people who know and honour YHVH.
The fact that only the area around Mount Zion will be fully redeemed and not the whole
Earth can be further elucidated from Isaiah 35.
ISAIAH 35
72
The wilderness and the desert shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and
blossom as the crocus. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the
glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the honour of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory
of YHVH and the majesty of our God. Make the weak hands strong and make the feeble knees
sure. Say to those of a hasty heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with
vengeance, with the full dealing of God. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a
deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for in the wilderness waters shall break out, and
streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land shall
become springs of water in the home of jackals, in its lair, and a place for the reed and rush.
And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called, The Way of Holiness. The unclean
shall not pass over it. But He shall be with them; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err
in it. No lion shall be there, nor any beast of prey shall go up on it; it shall not be found there;
but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of YHVH shall return and come to Zion
with songs and everlasting joy on their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow
and sighing shall flee away.
The context reveals that Isaiah is speaking only of the land of Israel; this should be
obvious, from the opening verse which says that the wilderness and the desert shall be
glad for them (which can surely only be the redeemed), to the mention of places only
found in the newly expanded core of Israel (Lebanon, Carmel, Sharon), and the mention
of the Way of Holiness (the Highway that connects central Israel to its new suburbs in
Egypt and Assyria).
One might wonder why Isaiah felt the need to point out that there will be no lion nor
any other beast of prey on the great highway if these animals are now peaceable and
safe? The reason for this is most likely because beasts of prey are unclean (Leviticus 11)
and thus not holy. This testifies to the fact that Isaiah is using this future physical
highway (that will connect Israel to Egypt and Assyria) as a metaphor for the way of
truth. Only the redeemed can walk the Way of Holiness (Isaiah 35:8) because it is the
way of truth as found in God’s word. Thus both Isaiah (2:3) and Micah (4:2) tell us,
‘And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of Yahweh,
to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk
in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of Yahweh from
Jerusalem.’
During the Millennium, Yahshua, by His very presence, will still be separating out the
righteous from the wicked in every generation of His thousand year rule, as every
person born into the world chooses whether to seek after God and learn His ways or
follow after their fathers’ gods to their own destruction. Yahweh’s ministers will be
walking the nations with the gospel unimpeded, and many of the peoples of the Earth
will gather at Jerusalem for instruction at the yearly festivals.
COLOSSIANS 1: 27
For to them God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among
the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory…
ZECHARIAH 8: 20-23
73
So says YHVH of Hosts: There yet shall be peoples and inhabitants of many cities; and the
residents of one shall go to another, saying, Let us go at once to seek favour of the face of
YHVH, and to seek YHVH of Hosts; I will go also. And many peoples and strong nations shall
come to seek YHVH of Hosts in Jerusalem and to seek the favour of the face of YHVH. So says
YHVH of Hosts: In those days ten men, out of all languages of the nations, shall take hold, and
will seize the skirt of a man, a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is
with you.
MICAH 4: 1-2
But it shall be in the last days the mountain of the house of YHVH shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.
And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of YHVH, and to
the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths;
for the Law shall go forth out of Zion, and the Word of YHVH from Jerusalem.
JEREMIAH 16: 19-21
O YHVH, my strength and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations
shall come to You from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited
lies, vanity, and there is no profit in them. Shall a man make gods to himself, and they are no
gods? Therefore, behold, I will make them know; this time I will cause them to know My hand
and My might; and they shall know that My name is YHVH.
One of the greatest benefits of Yahshua returning to this world to reign is that He will
instruct all of us in righteousness, even those of us who already believe in His word.
PSALM 85: 9-13
Surely His salvation is near those that fear Him, so that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy
and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall
spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from Heaven. Yea, YHVH shall give
good; and our land shall yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before Him and shall set us in
the way of His steps.
JEREMIAH 3: 14-15
Turn, O backsliding sons, says YHVH; for I am married to you; and I will take you one from
a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according
to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
The Holy Spirit is capable of leading us into all truth (John 16:13), yet the reality is that
we are not always in tune with the Spirit of truth, as evident from all the different
doctrines and theologies that exist within the Church. Although we have Church offices
to lead us into a unity of the faith (Ephesians 4), yet these spiritual gifts have been
74
abused, and in the majority of cases are not fruitful. As we saw in part one of this book,
there will be those who are great and those who are least in the kingdom of God
according to their teaching of the laws of God and their obedience to them. But how do
we reconcile this incompleteness of the doctrinal unity of the Church with Paul’s
statement in Ephesians 5:27 that Yahshua will return for His Church only when it is holy
and without blemish? The answer can be found in Paul’s first letter to the
Thessalonians, where he describes being “blameless in holiness” as a matter of the heart
and not a matter of the head.
1 THESSALONIANS 3: 12-13
And may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another and
toward all, even as we also toward you, in order to establish your hearts blameless in holiness
before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
This reveals the difference between the lawless ones who never knew Yahshua and who
are counted with the unbelievers due to their wicked hearts (Luke 12:45-46 and 13:3738) and those who have a sincere desire to follow Yahshua but have unwisely suffered
false teachers who have spoken against the laws and commandments of God, hence
stunting their spiritual growth in many areas (note that false teachers are often victims
of other false teachers, so we cannot judge anyone in this matter; in fact many of today's
true teachers of the word were once false teachers themselves).
1 CORINTHIANS 4: 5
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And then shall
each one have praise of God.
LUKE 12: 2-3
For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, nor anything hidden that shall not
be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light. And
that which you have spoken in the ear in secret rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops…
LUKE 8: 17
For nothing is secret that shall not be revealed; nor secret which shall not be known and
come to be revealed.
Now because the foolish will not have been refined by the word of God as they should
have been (Psalm 19:7) they will have to be refined through the fiery furnace of the
Tribulation, so that they are pure on the day of His return (Luke 21:33-36). Then at least
their heart will be revealed and their faith will be vindicated.
1 CORINTHIANS 3: 15-17
If anyone's work shall be burned up, he shall suffer loss. But he shall be saved, yet so as by
fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If
anyone defiles the temple of God, God shall destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which
you are.
It is a greatly comforting hope to know that all of the works of darkness that have
plagued Christianity with their lies, deceptions and mistruths, will be exposed, and that
Yahshua will provide good shepherds under His rule. There will still be false teachers
in the world outside of Israel, but because of the clear teaching that will go forth into
the world, they will be clearly evident to all those who have a desire for truth.
ISAIAH 32: 1-6
75
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and rulers shall rule in judgment. And a man
shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a shelter from the tempest, like streams of water
in a dry place, like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of those who see
shall not be dim, and the ears of those who hear shall listen. And the heart of the rash shall
understand knowledge, and the tongue of those who stutter shall be ready to speak plainly.
The fool shall no more be called noble, nor the miser said to be bountiful. For the fool will speak
folly, and his heart work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy and to speak error against YHVH, to
make the soul of the hungry empty, and he will take away the drink of the thirsty.
(It is worth pointing out that most translations of verse 6 don’t make it particularly clear
that it is simply the goal of the fool to deprive those who hunger and thirst after
righteousness, not that he will actually be successful).
Even the Assyrians, whom God refers to as the work of His hands in Isaiah 19:25, will
be educated in God’s ways whilst they serve God’s people as slave-servants. They will
no longer be led astray as they were by evil Babylonian spirits; instead they will receive
true doctrine.
REVELATION 20: 1-3
And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain
in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and
bound him a thousand years. And he cast him into the abyss and shut him up and set a seal on
him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled.
And after that he must be loosed a little time.
ISAIAH 29: 17-24
Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the
fruitful field shall be counted as a forest? And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the
book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of their gloom and darkness. And the meek shall
increase joy in YHVH, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the
terrible one is brought to nothing, and the scorner is destroyed, and all that watch for iniquity
are cut off; those who make a man guilty by a word, and lay a trap for the reprover in the gate,
and turn aside the just for a worthless thing. Therefore so says YHVH, who redeemed Abraham,
concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now become
pale. But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they shall sanctify My
name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. Those who erred in
spirit shall come to understanding, and those who murmured shall learn doctrine.
PROVERBS 4: 2
For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Whether Gentiles will convert to the truth after they have received it is still their own
choice of course. Many will continue in wickedness, even when they come into the land
to pretend obedience to Yahshua during the yearly festivals; like the Israelites under
Moses in the desert of Sinai, they will gather before the Lord to hear Him speak but
they will not ascend the holy mountain to behold His face.
ISAIAH 26: 7-11
76
The way of the just is uprightness; O Upright One, weigh the path of the just. Yea, in the
way of Your judgments, O YHVH, we awaited You; for Your name and for Your memory is the
desire of our soul. With my soul I desired You in the night; yea, with my spirit within me I will
seek You early; for when Your judgments are in the earth, the people of the world learn
righteousness. Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness; in the
land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of YHVH. YHVH, Your
hand is lifted up, they will not see; but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy toward
Your people. Yes, the fire of Your enemies shall devour them.
There will be no excuses in the Millennium for not bowing the knee before our Lord.
If there were no excuses in the days of the old kingdom for rejecting the word of God
(Hosea 4:6), there certainly will be none at all when the living Word is with us in person
(Hebrews 10:28-31). Unlike now, there will be no convincing deceptions, no lack of
knowledge. Every nation, every people, everyone will hear the gospel, will witness the
gospel, will have every chance to accept the gospel; like never before they will see the
gospel in action as the Kingdom of God is lived out before their eyes under the rule and
reign of Yahshua the Messiah.
ISAIAH 55: 3-5
Bow down your ear, and come to Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given Him for a
witness to the people, a Leader and Commander of peoples. Behold, You shall call a nation that
You do not know; a nation that did not know You shall run to You because of YHVH Your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified You.
Because of the righteousness of the people, Israel will flourish (Jeremiah 12:4,8-11, Psalm
85:9). Although the land of Israel is blossoming to some degree even today, yet this is
currently an unmerited grace for the nations around them (Ezekiel 36:32-38) that will be
withdrawn in Israel’s darkest hour; the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30). Only when
Yahshua returns will the land truly be healed and its people be worthy of its fruit.
ISAIAH 32: 9-20
Rise up, women who are at ease; hear my voice, careless daughters; listen to my speech.
Many days and years you shall be troubled, careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the
gathering shall not come. Tremble, women at ease; be troubled, careless ones; strip yourselves
and make yourselves bare, and bind sackcloth on your loins. They shall mourn for the breasts,
for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. On the land of my people shall come up thorns and
77
briers; yea, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city; because the palace shall be deserted, the
multitude of the city shall be forsaken; instead the mound and tower shall be for dens forever,
a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the
wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is thought to be a forest. Then
judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the
work of righteousness shall be peace; and the service of righteousness shall be quietness and
hope forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable home, and in secure dwellings and quiet
resting places. Though it hails, when the forest is felled, and the city laid low. Blessed are you
who sow beside all waters, who send out the feet of the ox and the ass.
ISAIAH 55: 12-13
For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall
break out before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of
the thorn, the fir tree shall come up; and instead of the brier, the myrtle tree shall come up;
and it shall be to YHVH for a name, for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off.
How will this great change to the land come about? Well, just as water destroyed the
old world, water will now be used to heal the new world.
JOEL 3: 16-18
YHVH shall also roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and
the earth shall shake. But YHVH will be the hope of His people and the strength of the sons of
Israel. So you shall know that I am YHVH your God dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. And
Jerusalem shall be a holy thing, and no aliens shall pass through her any more. And it shall be,
in that day the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all
the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of
YHVH, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
EZEKIEL 47:1-12
And he led me again to the door of the house. And behold, water came out from under
the threshold of the house eastward. For the front of the house is east, and the water came
down from under the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. And he led me out
by the way of the north gate, and led me around the way outside to the outer gate, by the way
facing the east. And behold, water was trickling out of the right side. When the man went out
eastward, and a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits. And he passed me through
the water. The water was to the ankles. And he measured a thousand cubits, and passed me
through the water, water to the knees. And he measured a thousand, and passed me through
water to the loins. And he measured a thousand; and there was a torrent which I was not able
to pass; for the water had risen, water to swim in, a torrent that could not be passed. And he
said to me, Son of man, have you seen? And he led me, and caused me to return to the bank
of the torrent. When I returned, then behold, on the edge of the torrent were very many trees,
from here and from there. And he said to me, These waters go out toward the eastern circuit,
and go down into the Arabah, and go into the sea. They are brought out into the sea, and the
waters shall be healed. And it shall be that every living soul which swarms in every place, there
where the two torrents go, that soul shall live. And there shall be very many fish, because these
waters shall come there. And they shall be healed. And all shall live where the torrent goes.
And it will be, the fishermen shall stand on it from En-gedi even to En-eglaim, a spreading place
for nets shall be there. Their fish shall be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea,
very many. Its swamps and its marshes shall not even be healed; they shall be given to salt. And
all trees for food shall go up by the torrent, on its bank on this side, and on that side. Its leaf
shall not fade, nor its fruit fail. It will bear by its months, because its waters come out from the
sanctuary. And its fruit shall be for food, and its leaf for healing.
PSALM 46: 4-5, LITV
78
There is a river, its channels gladden the city of God, the holy tabernacles of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be shaken; God will help her at the turning of the
morning.
At the turning of the morning (that is at the beginning of the Millennium) a river will
trickle out from a fountain in the sanctuary of Yahweh, living waters that build in
volume until a mighty torrent streams throughout the land in order to bring healing to
Israel. The Dead Sea is specifically noted as being healed (v8), but also wherever in the
land the “two torrents flow.” Although Ezekiel focuses on the eastern torrent, yet there
is also a western torrent that is revealed by Zechariah.
ZECHARIAH 14: 8-9
And it shall be in that day, living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them shall go
toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea. In summer and in winter it
shall be. And YHVH shall be King over all the earth; in that day there shall be one YHVH, and His
name shall be one.
It will be necessary for the healing waters to also flow west into the Mediterranean so
that the world’s seas and waterways (at least one third of which will have been turned
into blood and possibly irradiated during the Tribulation - Revelation 8:8-11, 16:3-5) can
be purified and their waters restocked with fish. Although only Israel will receive the
paradisiacal glory of the time before the Fall, yet the rest of the world will still be
rejuvenated. So not only will there be healing waters to purify the world, but also
healing leaves as medicine for the sick. These leaves will grow from the trees on the
banks of the torrents. That these healing leaves are meant not just for Israel but for the
entire world is clear when we realize that Ezekiel 47:12 (underlined above) and
Revelation 22:2 (below) speak of exactly the same event.
REVELATION 22: 2
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life,
which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations.
To confirm this, we must reconcile the apparent difference between these verses;
namely that Ezekiel 47:12 speaks of trees (plural) and Revelation 22:2 speaks of a tree
(singular).
First it needs to be established that the passage from Ezekiel is truly speaking of trees
in the plural, for it can appear at first that the translators were not sure if they were
speaking of one tree or of many.
EZEKIEL 47: 12
And all trees for food shall go up by the torrent, on its bank on this side, and on that side.
Its leaf shall not fade, nor its fruit fail. It will bear by its months, because its waters come out
from the sanctuary. And its fruit shall be for food, and its leaf for healing.
79
But a careful reading of the text reveals that everything in this verse relates to the river
as the central subject, not the trees. It is therefore the river that is referred to as bearing
fruit and leaves in its months, through the trees.
So the trees beside the rejuvenating river in Ezekiel are definitely in the plural (every
translation of the Bible testifies to this). But when we look at the verse from Revelation,
we do not get the same kind of consensus…
Nearly all translations provide us with the image of one tree in Revelation 22:2, but it
seems rather odd that a single tree would be on both sides of the river.
REVELATION 22: 2
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life,
which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations.
Are we to imagine that the Tree of Life straddles this mighty river, with a huge arch in
the trunk that allows the waters to pass through it? Such an arrangement would be
unnatural and it seems unlikely. Neither is there anything to suggest that this was the
case in the garden of Eden, where there was also a river in the vicinity of the Tree of
Life.
GENESIS 2: 9-10
And out of the ground made YHVH God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,
and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of
good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted,
and became into four heads.
There is such a parallel between the verses in Ezekiel and Revelation regarding fruit,
leaves, months, and healing, that it is necessary to consider the possibility that the Tree
of Life in Revelation should actually be in the plural as well, and that these trees in
Revelation are the same as those mentioned in Ezekiel’s passage. Indeed, the CEV
translation of Revelation 22:2 provides us with the plural.
REVELATION 22: 2, CEV
Then it flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river are trees
that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves
are used as medicine to heal the nations.
Although the CEV is the only translation that provides the plural, yet two more
translations (God’s Word and the New Living Translation) refer to “a tree” either side
of the river, rather than “the tree.” Yet these three anomalies in the overall body of
translations for Revelation 22:2 need not be anomalies if we simply adjust how we read
the other translations that speak of “the tree” of life. To understand this statement,
consider the following sentence.
“The apple tree is a wonderful species of fruit tree.”
80
Anyone reading this sentence would recognize that all apple trees are being referred to,
not just a single apple tree. Likewise, if we said, “the apple tree was found on either
side of the river,” we would read this to mean that there was more than one apple tree
in the scenario, because the species is being referred to, not an individual tree. In the
same way, we can read Revelation 22:2 to mean that the tree of life as a species is found
on either side of the river!
This prompts the question as to whether the Tree of Life in the garden east of Eden
could have been in the plural as well? Quite possibly, but this might be one of those
questions that will only be answered when Yahshua returns.
Before moving on, it is important to identify the spiritual parallel of the river from the
sanctuary, for Zechariah refers to these waters as living waters and of their ability to
purify from sin.
ZECHARIAH 13: 1
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the people of
Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
ZECHARIAH 14: 8
And it shall be in that day, living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them shall go
toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea. In summer and in winter it
shall be.
The ending verses of Zechariah 12 prove that in 13:1 “that day” is the beginning of the
Millennium, after Yahshua has returned and all the surviving Jews mourn the fact that
as a nation they crucified their Messiah on His first advent. Whilst the fountain that is
opened to the house of David must surely agree with other scriptures speaking of a
physical river of water (and which is likely to be used for baptisms at that time), yet
like baptism it must also be representative of a spiritual reality; in this case the presence
of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life.
JOHN 4: 9-14
Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who
am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered and
said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give Me to drink, you
would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water. The woman said to Him,
Sir, you have no vessel, and the well is deep. From where then do you have that living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his
children and his cattle? Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst
again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that
I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Indeed, Yahshua invited all His listeners to come and partake of this spiritual blessing.
JOHN 7: 37-39
81
And in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink. He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water." (But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who
believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified.)
It is notable that Yahshua made this claim on the “last day of the great feast,” for this
was the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which prophetically portrays the coming
Millennial Kingdom. If Yahshua had been accepted by the religious leaders of that day,
then the fountain would have been opened to the house of David then and there. As it
was, this prophecy was only partly fulfilled and thus awaits complete fulfilment in both
a spiritual and earthly kingdom at the beginning of the Millennium.
This duality between the physical and the spiritual is apparent in the Hebrew spelling
of the word “water”, which includes the appendage “ayim”, which denotes a plural of
two, thus meaning ‘a pair’.
MAYIM – a pair of waters.
The same is also true in the spelling of “life”, which hints at resurrection life.
CHAYIM – a pair of lives.
We should therefore take note that the eternal city Jerusalem also has this appendage in
its Hebrew spelling.
YERUSHALAYIM – a pair of ‘Jerusalem’s.
Which leads us onto the subject of the New Jerusalem.
PSALM 68: 15-18
The mountain of Bashan is God's mountain; the Bashan range is a mountain of peaks. Why
do you gaze in envy, O mountain range, at the mountain God has chosen for His resting place?
Yes, YHVH will dwell in it forever. The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of thousands; the
Lord is among them, in Sinai, in the holy place. You have gone up on high; You have led captivity
captive; You have received gifts for men, yes, for the rebellious also, that You might dwell
among them, O YHVH God…
The mountains gaze in envy because Jerusalem will sit higher than any other mountain
in Israel. But how can this be, when the mountain Jerusalem sits on is not the highest
mountain in Israel? It requires a topological restructuring of the whole land.
ZECHARIAH 14: 10-11, CEV
82
From Geba down to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, the entire country will be turned into
flatlands, with Jerusalem still towering above. Then the city will be full of people, from Benjamin
Gate, Old Gate Place, and Hananel Tower in the northeast part of the city over to Corner Gate
in the northwest and down to King's Wine Press in the south. Jerusalem will always be secure
and will never again be destroyed.
Jerusalem will no longer need to be surrounded by mountains and steep valleys that
help to keep her secure, for the Holy Spirit will dwell over mount Zion and keep her
safe from all her enemies (page 39). But Jerusalem will be raised far above the plains
so that she stands like a beacon, shining forth to the rest of the world who will come to
worship on her holy hill.
John the Baptist quoted from the prophecies of Isaiah describing this time period, which
would have begun two thousand years ago if Yahshua had been overwhelmingly
accepted at that time.
LUKE 3: 3-6
And he came into all the country around Jordan, proclaiming the baptism of repentance
for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the Words of Isaiah the prophet, saying,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked
shall be straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation
of God."
This prophecy does not relate to the entire world, not even to all of Israel, for as we saw
in the quote from Joel 3 (page 77) there will be mountains and hills bringing forth new
wine and fresh milk in the land of Israel during the Millennial reign of Yahshua. Nor
does this prophecy relate to the end of the Millennium, for the context of the prophecy
from Isaiah is the coming of the Lord. When Isaiah says every valley and every
mountain and hill, he is speaking of every one of these structures in the near vicinity of
Jerusalem, excluding Mount Zion itself. The hills and mountains will be levelled off to
form a plain around Mount Zion, and the valleys will most likely be filled with the
healing waters that stream down from the sanctuary. High and lifted up, Jerusalem will
stand in the midst of a paradisiacal garden landscape. The views from the city will be
simply stunning for miles and miles around, including the valley of the son of Hinnom
which will be a reminder of rebellion against the Lord (page 41), filled as it will be with
the dead bodies of those who fought against Jerusalem and with anyone else who
continues to rebel against the King of kings.
JEREMIAH 31: 38-40
Behold, the days come, says YHVH, that the city shall be built to YHVH from the Tower of
Hananeel to the Corner Gate. And the measuring line shall yet go before it to the hill Gareb,
and shall go around to Goath. And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and
all the fields to the torrent of Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be
holy to YHVH. It shall not be plucked up nor thrown down any more forever.
83
The fiery valley of Hinnom will not mar the landscape, but will be a glorious sign of
God’s justice in the midst of paradise. There will be no delight in the death of the wicked
(Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11) but there will be joy in the holiness of God that judges unrepentant
evil. This can be inferred from the CEV translation of the above passage from Jeremiah,
reading, “Even that disgusting Hinnom Valley will be sacred to me…”
There is also a spiritual parallel to Isaiah’s prophecy within the context of the coming
of the Lord. In the original prophecy (Isaiah 40:1-2) and also in John’s application of it
(Luke 3:7-8) there is the call for repentance ahead of the Great Day of the Lord. Where
the literal translation of the prophecy is given as, “the crooked shall be straight/level,”
the figurative translation of the Greek in Luke reads, “the perverse will be made true.”
The Hebrew in Isaiah also provides both valid translations (literal and figurative). It
would seem that this prophecy therefore speaks of both a physical transformation of the
land and a spiritual transformation of the people.
So Jerusalem will be gloriously rebuilt on top of Mount Zion. The surrounding cities
will also be restored to match the glory of the land around them (even more so than in
the time of Solomon’s kingdom – 2 Chronicles 1:15).
AMOS 9: 11-15
In that day I will raise up the booth of David that has fallen, and close up its breaks; and I
will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old; so that they may possess the
remnant of Edom, and of all the nations on whom My name is called, says YHVH who is doing
this. Behold, the days come, says YHVH, that the plowman and the reaper shall draw near, the
treader of grapes, and he who draws along the seed. And the mountains will drip must, and all
the hills will be dissolved. And I will turn back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall
build the cities which are desolate, and they shall live in them. And they shall plant vineyards
and drink their wine. They shall also make gardens and eat their fruit. And I will plant them on
their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, says
YHVH your God.
ISAIAH 61: 4
And they will build the old wastes, they will raise up the ruins of former times. And they
will repair the waste cities, the ruins of many generations.
ISAIAH 60: 17-20
For bronze I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver; and for wood I will bring bronze,
and for stones, iron. I will also make your overseers to be peace, and your rulers to be
righteousness. Violence will no more be heard in your land, wasting nor ruin within your
borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun will no more be
your light by day; nor the brightness of the moon give light to you; but YHVH will be to you for
everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun will no more go down, nor your moon
withdraw; for YHVH will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be ended.
ISAIAH 54: 11-12
Afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will lay your stones among
antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. And I will make your battlements of ruby,
and your gates of carbuncles, and all your borders of pleasant stones.
84
Everything used in the reconstruction of Israel for the Millennium speaks of beauty,
strength, and light. Instead of wood and stones, precious and durable metals and gems
will be ubiquitous throughout the land, from the dwellings of the people, to the city
limits and around the very borders of Israel. These materials will make use of the ever
present light of Yahshua, reflecting His glory across vast stretches of vibrant green
plains and across the glittering silver-blue lakes of former valleys now filled with living
waters from the sanctuary.
Yet even more glorious will be the New Jerusalem that descends directly from heaven
(in contrast to the rebuilt Jerusalem on the ground).
REVELATION 21: 9-23
And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues came to
me and talked with me, saying, Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. 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, having the glory of God. And its light was
like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. And it had a great and high
wall, with twelve gates. And on the gates were twelve angels, and having names inscribed,
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: From the east three gates, from
the north three gates, from the south three gates, and from the west three gates. And the wall
of the city had twelve foundations, and in them were the names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb. And he who talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its
wall. And the city lies four-square, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured
the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia. The length and the breadth and the height of it
are equal. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure
of a man, that is, of an angel. And the foundation of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure
gold, like clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city had been adorned with every
precious stone. The first foundation, jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the
fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl;
the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, hyacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And
the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Respectively, each one of the gates was one pearl. And
the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent glass. And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord
God Almighty is its temple, even the Lamb. And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the
moon, that they might shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
We should note that the New Jerusalem is the bride, the wife of the Lamb (v9). This is
important because the Church is also the bride of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9, Ephesians
5 and John 3:29); therefore in order for the City and the Church to remain synonymous,
the body of Messiah must be found in the New Jerusalem as it descends from heaven
(which clearly is a city, from the structural details that are given, and not simply a
metaphorical representation of the Church). Thus it is to the New Jerusalem that
believers will ascend for protection prior to the Day of Wrath.
JOHN 14: 1-3
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I
am, you may be also.
85
Historically the New Jerusalem has not been identified with the Father’s Mansion,
because it has generally been taught that the New Jerusalem does not descend to the
Earth until the end of the Millennium, not at its beginning. This is because chapters 20
and 21 of Revelation have been treated in chronological order. But although Revelation
20 speaks of the end of the Millennium, Revelation 21 takes us back to its beginning.
And if we look carefully at Revelation 22 we can see that the wicked are still present on
the Earth; which means that the Millennium hasn’t yet ended (the timing of the 'new
heaven and earth' will be addressed in the next section).
REVELATION 22: 14-15
Blessed are they who do His commandments, that their authority will be over the Tree of
Life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city. But outside are the dogs, and the
sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone who loves
and makes a lie.
The Tree of Life makes its first appearance in the book of Revelation at 22:2 when John
says that its leaves are for the healing of the nations; which would be a thousand years
too late if this chapter was detailing a period of time after the Millennium.
There is also more evidence that New Jerusalem descends at the beginning of the
Millennium. For example, it is declared that God has come to dwell with His people
when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven, and we know that Yahshua returns at
the beginning of the Millennium and not at its end.
REVELATION 21: 2-3
And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. 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 will be His
people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Some have claimed that this passage refers to God the Father coming to dwell with man
alongside Yahshua, but this would make no theological sense when we recall that the
Son is the manifestation of the Father. For the Father to manifest Himself physically
with the Son would simply be to physically manifest Himself twice, which would be
absurd, and explains why we only ever hear the voice of the Father when the Son is
present (Matthew 3:17, 17:5 and John 12:28). Yahshua corrected Phillip on this matter
when he requested that he and the other disciples might see the Father.
JOHN 14: 8-11
Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have
I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me
has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in
the Father and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but
the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the
Father in Me, or else believe Me for the very works themselves.
86
In addition to this theological truth, the account in Revelation 21 identifies God in the
New Jerusalem as the Lamb (vs22-23), which is clearly Yahshua and not the Father.
Thus it is Yahshua Who comes down in the New Jerusalem to dwell with His people
for the duration of the Millennium. *
Another proof that the New Jerusalem is present during the Millennial time period is
the existence of the kings of the nations (who are not around after the Millennium) who
bring their glory and honour (their praise and wealth) into the New Jerusalem, just as
they are noted as doing in Old Testament prophecies (specifically Isaiah 60).
REVELATION 21: 24-27
And the nations of those who are saved will walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth
bring their glory and honour into it. And its gates may not be shut at all by day, for there shall
be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there
shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles, or any making an abomination or a lie; but
only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
The kings themselves will not enter into the city as long as they remain Gentiles (Joel
3:17), but the tithing they bring will be transported through the gates (this will be
examined later on). Jerusalem will be a holy city, beloved above all other cities in the
world.
PSALM 87
A Psalm for the sons of Korah, A Song. His foundation is in the holy mountains. YHVH loves
the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city
of God. Selah. I will mention Rahab [Egypt] and Babylon [Assyria] to those who know me;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. And to Zion it shall be said,
This man and that man was born in her; and the Highest shall establish her. YHVH shall count,
in recording the peoples, that this man was born there. Selah. And the singers, the players of
the pipe: all my springs are in You!
It must be noted that we once again have mention of offspring, only this time people
are actually being born in Jerusalem. It is therefore reasonable to assume that converts
in the Millennial period will not be in a glorified state and will not receive glorified
bodies until the end of the Millennium. So these believers who move to Zion after their
conversion will still be having children in order to further God’s plan of populating the
Earth. When we consider that our mortal bodies have the potential to live for a thousand
years (according to the early chapters of Genesis) it seems that this may be the reason
why the Millennium is limited to a thousand year period (so that even mortal believers
will not die). This scenario is not unprecedented, and is even similar to that put forward
in the popular Left Behind novels.
Having put forth the assertion that the New Jerusalem descends at the beginning of the
Millennium, the question must then be posed as to both how and why Jerusalem could
be rebuilt in the Millennium if it is only to be replaced by the New Jerusalem?
The answer is that New Jerusalem does not replace Jerusalem. The two co-exist.
87
To reveal this, let’s first look at the size of New Jerusalem (the CEV translation gives
us the size in miles rather than the King James stadia).
REVELATION 21: 16, CEV
The city was shaped like a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel
measured the city, it was about fifteen hundred miles high and fifteen hundred miles wide.
This city is huge, far too big to land in Israel, even in Greater Israel.
Supplied with permission from www.watchmanbiblestudy.com
New Jerusalem, if it replaced Jerusalem, would be larger than the entire land of Israel.
Even if we accept a different translation, which gives us a circumference of 1500 miles
(rather than individual sides 1500 miles long) we still have a city 375 miles high. Does
such a picture below seem realistic?
Kindly supplied by Martin Young – www.biblecartoons.co.uk
Even if God adapted universal planetary physics
so that the Earth did not spin out of control, the
dimensions just don’t seem well-suited for a God
Who delights in the balance and symmetry that
we behold in His creation. It is therefore far more
likely that New Jerusalem remains in orbit, a
blazing beacon in the sky.
88
New Jerusalem Illustration Copyright © by Duncan Long. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the artist.
Although not conclusive, there remains much support for this idea in the Bible. For
example, the people of the nations that are saved from the Tribulation walk in the light
of New Jerusalem; something which could only be true if New Jerusalem circles the
Earth to take in all the nations.
REVELATION 21: 23-25
And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they might shine in it, for the
glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations of those who are saved
will walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour into it. And its
gates may not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there.
Some might argue that the “nations of those who are saved,” are only those which make
up the new core of Israel. But verse 24 is most likely referring to people who were saved
from the physical destruction of the Tribulation, not those who have been saved
spiritually; in fact the Greek word for ‘saved’ can also be translated as “preserved” or
“healed,” which accommodates the role played by the healing leaves from the Tree of
Life.
Now if the city has no need of the sun nor the moon to light it because of the glory of
God within it, then certainly it will shine brightly like those other mighty orbs in the
sky. And if New Jerusalem is shining at least as brightly as the sun, then the city may
be bright enough to enhance the luminosity of the sun and the moon in the same way
that the sun gives its light to the moon; perhaps explaining the following verse from
Isaiah.
ISAIAH 30: 26
And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be
sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that YHVH binds up the break of His people and
heals the stroke of their wound.
If New Jerusalem shines in orbit around the Earth, then this may bring new meaning to
verses such as:
89
PSALM 8: 1
O YHVH our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory
above the heavens!
PSALM 57: 11
Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth.
PSALM 97: 9
For You, YHVH, are high above all the earth; You are lifted on high far above all gods.
We can see from the following passage below that God shines forth from Zion on the
same day that He gathers His people to judge them, which marks this event as the
beginning of the Millennium (for God’s people are judged at the beginning, whilst the
wicked are judged at the end). As God comes with Zion, bringing devouring fires with
Him, Zion can only be the New Jerusalem, not Jerusalem on the ground. And note that
He says He shall call to both the heavens and the earth from above.
PSALM 50: 2-6
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone. Our God comes, and He is not silent;
a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very stormy all around Him. He shall call to the
heavens from above, and to the earth, so that He may judge His people. Gather My saints to
Me; and those who cut My covenant by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His
righteousness; for God Himself is judge. Selah.
Also note that the Psalmist adds the word “Selah” at the end of this passage; a word
that means we should pause and meditate upon what has just been said – usually an
indication that there are profound truths to be discovered.
One last thing to consider is that New Jerusalem is never described as touching down
upon the Earth, only that it descends from heaven. It may come as low as the clouds on
its initial approach in order to cause some or even all of the devastation that occurs at
Yahshua’s return (hundreds of miles wide, it would fill the sky from horizon to horizon
and would cause some serious gravitational damage to the Earth including worldwide
earthquakes, land tsunamis and volcanic eruptions), before returning to a high orbit for
the duration of the Millennium and beyond.
So it would seem that if there are two cities of Jerusalem then Yahshua will reign from
Jerusalem on the ground where His throne is located whilst dwelling in New Jerusalem
from the sky, alternating between these two locations (as will the saints, for all the
resurrected saints will be like the angels in heaven and will thus be capable of levitating
between the heavens and the earth).
90
Now some might question why New Jerusalem has a wall if it is never to stand on the
ground. But then we should ask why would it need a wall even upon the ground? We
saw earlier in this book that the Shekinah Glory will keep Jerusalem safe, so surely the
Holy Spirit would be capable of protecting New Jerusalem as well? The wall is by all
indication decorative only, housing gates that honour the twelve tribes of Israel and the
apostles, which are to be entered into by the resurrected saints whenever they ascend
from the Earth to enter into New Jerusalem.
REVELATION 21: 12-14
And it had a great and high wall, with twelve gates. And on the gates were twelve angels,
and having names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: from
the east three gates, from the north three gates, from the south three gates, and from the west
three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them were the names of
the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The reason why only the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles are honoured in this way
and not such luminaries as Abraham, Noah, Enoch, Daniel or any other great man of
God, is because God’s government is being represented and honoured, not the actual
tribes and individuals themselves (as it was in the onyx stones that were worn upon the
shoulders of the high priest’s garments in ancient Israel - Exodus 28:9-12). As was made
note of earlier, the apostles of the Lamb will be heads over the twelve tribes of Israel,
and this authority is the reason for their names being inscribed into the twelve
foundations of the city wall.
Goods from the kings of the nations will likely be shuttled through these gates by the
saints, whilst angels will stand guard at each one (v12) to prevent the unholy from
entering into the city by whatever technological means they will either already have or
proceed to develop in the future. If this sounds like science fiction, then we must keep
in mind that just because most of the prophecies were written during the iron age, it
doesn’t mean that they cannot be fulfilled in the space age; it’s not as if the technologies
that we have today can’t be reinvented or improved upon during the Millennium.
However there is another interesting theory, which is that of Jacob’s ladder. If the vision
of Jacob beholding angels ascending and descending at Bethel (Genesis 28) was part of
the prophecy that he was given in the dream, it could be that he saw the activity of
angels moving up and down between Old and New Jerusalem in the days when his seed
would inherit the land forever. As the redeemed will be like the angels, this vision could
even be revealing the saints travelling between these two great cities. As Bethel stands
ten miles north of Jerusalem, it is ideally located for the kings of the earth to drop-off
their gifts for transport without coming into the holy city, and then for either saints or
angels to deliver their gifts to Yahshua, whether He be in Old or New Jerusalem.
GENESIS 28: 10-18
And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he came on a certain
place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took of the stones of that
91
place, and placed them at his head. And he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed.
And behold! A ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven! And behold!
The angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold! YHVH stood above it, and
said, I am YHVH, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac! The land on which you
lie I will give to you and to your seed. And your seed shall be like the dust of the earth, and you
shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in you
and in your Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with you, and
will keep you in every place where you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not
leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you. And Jacob awakened from his
sleep. And he said, Surely YHVH is in this place, and I did not know. And he was afraid, and said,
How fearful is this place! This is nothing but the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven!
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone which he had put at his head, and
set it as a memorial pillar, and poured oil on the top of it.
Now consider again the following from Isaiah:
ISAIAH 60: 3-8
And the nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. Lift
up your eyes all around, and see. All of them gather themselves; they come to you. Your sons
shall come from far, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall fear and
become bright, and your heart shall throb and swell for joy; because the abundance of the sea
shall turn to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you. A host of camels shall cover you,
the camels of Midian and Ephah. All of them from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and
incense; and they shall proclaim the praises of YHVH. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered
together to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you. They shall come up on My altar
pleasing Me, and I will glorify the house of My glory. Who are these who fly like a cloud, and as
the doves to their windows?
Could this altar be the pillar in Bethel that Jacob set up in Genesis 28:18? Could those
who “fly like a cloud, and as doves to their windows,” be angels and resurrected saints
transporting the gifts to New Jerusalem? It’s worth a thought. And Genesis is not the
only place in the Bible where we hear of angels ascending and descending in prophecy.
JOHN 1: 49-51
Nathanael answered and said to Him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God. You are the King of
Israel! Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do
you believe? You shall see greater things than these. And He said to him, Truly, truly, I say to
you, Hereafter you shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of Man.
It needs to be pointed out that the final verse above can also be translated, “the angels
of God ascending and descending towards the Son of Man,” a translation that many
Bibles favour.
Again it is worth pointing out a spiritual parallel to a physical fulfilment (as with the
fountain of living waters), which is that Yahshua is the temple of God and also the gate
through which we must pass to come to the Father, so spiritually speaking He is the
house of God and the gateway of Heaven that Jacob identified with Bethel.
Lastly it should be noted that when the armies of Satan gather against Jerusalem at the
end of the Millennium, the fire that comes down and destroys them will most likely be
from New Jerusalem, because this is the abode of God (Revelation 21:22).
92
REVELATION 20: 8-9
And he will 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 them is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up over the breadth of the earth and circled around the camp of the saints, and
the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them.
One might wonder how people could possibly believe that they could defeat God, even
with the help of the devil. But as always, the wicked will only see and hear what they
want to believe, and they will most likely deny that Yahshua is God. Anyone who is
familiar with the TV shows Star Trek and Stargate will be aware that a Borg Cube (a
spaceship inhabited by evil cyborgs with a shared consciousness) has an uncanny but
twisted resemblance to the cubic New Jerusalem, whilst a Goa'uld mothership
(inhabited by an alien claiming to be a god) is a flying Pyramid (which some readers of
the Bible believe is the true shape of the New Jerusalem). Thus we can already see the
dark forces at work in the media to condition people for a future belief that Yahshua is
nothing more than an advanced alien being and can therefore be defeated (not that the
writers of these shows were likely to have had this in mind when they came up with
these ideas, but Satan can inspire the unconverted in a similar way to how the Holy
Spirit inspires believers).
So once the final rebellion has been dealt with, the Earth and the Heaven will flee from
before God for the final Judgment.
REVELATION 20: 11
And I saw a great white throne, and Him sitting on it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away. And a place was not found for them.
Where will the elect be? Most likely already safe in the New Jerusalem, and not
awaiting its first appearance.
The apostle John begins Revelation 21 by saying that he 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,” and then he witnesses the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Because
many believe the new heaven and earth to be established at the end of the Millennium,
this has led people to naturally assume that the New Jerusalem also does not arrive until
then. Although some might postulate that the heavenly city is simply returning to the
new earth after the old earth has fled away from before God’s face (Revelation 20:11), it
will now be shown that neither of these situations is the case, for the new heaven and
earth appear at the beginning of the Millennium and not at its end. Bear with me.
Revelation 21 immediately returns to the beginning of the Millennium after the last half
of Revelation 20 focused on its end. In fact the whole passage from Revelation 19 to
Revelation 22 deals with the beginning and duration of the Millennium except for
Revelation 20:7-15, which momentarily speeds ahead to its end. Anyone familiar with
93
prophetic books in the Old Testament will know that prophecies do not always come in
temporal order and that the visions of the prophets tend to skip about in time; well the
same is true in the book of Revelation as well.
Now one might well argue from the very first verse of Revelation 21 that the end of the
Millennium is in view, because John tells us that there was no longer any sea, and we
know from numerous Old Testament prophecies that there will be sea in the
Millennium. But the meaning of Revelation 21:1 can be skewed by misinterpretation;
when we look to the whole body of translated work, we find that there is a different
interpretation of this verse which fits in with the growing evidence provided in this
book for a Millennial New Jerusalem. This alternative translation is provided below,
with the traditional King James text following after for comparison.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared,
and so had the sea.
CEV
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away. And the sea no longer is.
MKJV
We can see that the meaning changes depending on whether one connects the subject
of the sea with the disappearance of the first heaven and earth, or with the appearance
of the new heaven and earth. In the CEV translation the sea being absent is spoken of
in the past tense, whilst in the King James it’s absence is spoken of in the present tense.
However, it makes more sense for the absent sea to be associated with the absent heaven
and earth based on the order of subject, as in the CEV, otherwise we are skipping
between present, past, and present tense. The point being made here is that the sea is
made new along with the heaven and earth.
But if John is speaking of the beginning of the Millennium, then how can we say that
the first heaven, earth and sea have all disappeared to be replaced with a new heaven
and earth (including the sea) when the Old Testament prophecies speak of a Millennial
renewal rather than a Millennial new creation? To answer this question we must show
that when the New Testament prophets speak of the heaven and earth passing away,
they are actually in agreement with the Old Testament prophets that creation is being
renewed rather than being replaced. In fact, in the verse treated above, it should be
noted that the Greek word that is translated as “disappeared” or “passed away” can also
be translated as “perished” or even “neglected.”
Now because the particular translations of Greek words that we use are always
dependent on our theology, it is essential to get the systematic theology right, which
comes from an overview of that subject in scripture. So what do the New Testament
prophets say about the new heavens and earth?
2 PETER 3: 7, 10-13
94
But the present heavens and the earth being kept in store by the same Word, are being
kept for fire until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men… But the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and
the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up.
Then, all these things being about to be dissolved, what sort ought you to be in holy behavior
and godliness, looking for and rushing the coming of the Day of God, on account of which the
heavens, being on fire, will melt away, and the elements will melt, burning with heat? But
according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells.
Peter says that the present heaven and earth will pass away; melt; be burnt up; be
dissolved. When? On the day of the Lord, the Day of God, when Yahshua returns as a
thief in the night – the beginning of the Millennium; when a new heaven and earth will
exist where righteousness dwells (Yahshua and His Law).
Peter was only teaching the same connection that Yahshua Himself made during His
mortal ministry:
MATTHEW 24: 35-36
The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away. But of that
day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father.
The "day and hour that no one knows" is the return of Yahshua. That, He says, is when
the heaven and earth will pass away. **
John confirms this in the central books of Revelation that detail the Tribulation. The
heavens will pass away (Revelation 6:13-14), the seas and waters will be turned to blood
or dried up, the earth will be burned, and the earth will suffer great upheaval so that
even cities, islands and mountains will be swallowed up in the fires of the great deep
beneath the earth’s crust (Revelation 16). The world will not be completely destroyed,
but it will be completely devastated, so that all of man’s institutions which offend will
pass away. Then the healing waters of the sanctuary in Jerusalem will renew the earth
and the healing leaves of the Tree of Life will renew the nations. The heavens will also
be renewed and the New Jerusalem will shine in their midst. In fact Job confirms that
the heavens have to pass away before the righteous dead can rise (Job 14:12-13).
So it is clear that the passing away (the burning and dissolving of this present heaven
and earth) refers to renewal and not to complete replacement. The outer shell is
scourged off through various means involving fire, and a newly refined planetary
surface arises as the result of God’s rejuvenating touch, just as a man might replace a
soiled garment with a new one.
PSALM 102: 25-27
Of old You have laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Your
hands. They shall perish, but You shall endure; yea, all of them shall become old like a garment;
like a robe You shall change them, and they shall be changed; but You are He, and Your years
shall have no end.
The psalmist speaks of a garment, a robe, an outer layer. The heavens in this context
are probably the atmosphere. The Earth itself remains, but upon and above the Earth’s
crust everything changes. With this understanding there is no contradiction between the
following verses:
95
ECCLESIASTES 1: 4
A generation passes away, and a generation comes; but the earth remains forever.
MATTHEW 24: 35
The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.
That the surface of the planet can be referred to as a robe is also seen from an account
of the first destructive renewal of the world.
PSALM 104: 6-9
You covered the deep as with a robe; the waters stand above the mountains. At Your
rebuke they flee; at the voice of Your thunder they hurry away. They go up by the mountains;
they go down by the valleys to the place which You have founded for them. You have set a
bound that they may not pass over, so that they do not turn again to cover the earth.
We can now read the first five verses of Revelation 21 with a true appreciation of its
context at the beginning of the Millennium, which the CEV translation helps to provide.
REVELATION 21: 1-5, CEV
I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared,
and so had the sea. Then I saw New Jerusalem, that holy city, coming down from God in heaven.
It was like a bride dressed in her wedding gown and ready to meet her husband. I heard a loud
voice shout from the throne: God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and
they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from
their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past
are gone forever. Then the one sitting on the throne said: I am making everything new. Write
down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted.
We should note that the promise of no more death, suffering, crying and pain, only
applies to God’s people; this is the context of the promise.
God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes,
God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will
be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.
This is made clear in the corresponding prophecy of Isaiah.
ISAIAH 65: 16-20
96
He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth. And he who
swears in the earth will swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten,
and because they are hidden from My eyes. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth.
And the things before will not be remembered, nor come to mind. But be glad and rejoice
forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I
will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I will rejoice in My people; and the voice of weeping will no more
be heard in her, nor the voice of crying be heard in her. There will not be an infant, nor an old
man that has not filled his days. For the child will die a hundred years old; but the sinner who
is a hundred years old will be despised.
It is only in the midst of God’s people that these blessings will be received.
The final verse is poorly translated in the King James, and is not entirely clear in some
others, but it essentially tells us that only sinners will suffer death, whilst mortal
converts during the Millennial period will live for the full thousand years.
No child will die in infancy; everyone will live to a ripe old age. Anyone a hundred years old
will be considered young, and to die younger than that will be considered a curse.
CEV
Babies will no longer die in infancy, and all people will live out their life span. Those who
live to be a hundred will be considered young. To die before that would be a sign that I had
punished them.
GNB
There will no longer be an infant who lives for only a few days or an old man who doesn't
live a long life. Whoever lives to be a hundred years old will be thought of as young. Whoever
dies before he is a hundred years old will be cursed as a sinner.
GW
And let us not forget the quote from Isaiah 66 found on page 42 of this book.
ISAIAH 66: 22
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make stand before Me, says YHVH,
so will your seed and your name stand.
All the scriptures should now be coming together in our minds to reveal the purpose of
the Millennium. In many ways it will be like the world we already know, except that
because God Himself will be dwelling with us, the truth will go out to the world
unheeded and uncorrupted in order to bring out from the nations all those who have a
true love for God. The curse of the Fall will only apply to the unconverted and the lands
in which they live. For the redeemed, all the pains of the past will be forgotten as we
glory in the presence of the Holy One of Israel and the land of our inheritance.
ISAIAH 43: 5-7, 18-21
Fear not; for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the
west. I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Do not keep back; bring My sons from
far and My daughters from the ends of the earth; everyone who is called by My name; for I
have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him… Do not remember
the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall
sprout; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The
beasts of the field shall honour Me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the
wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people that I
formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.
97
Just as the ungodly of the Tribulation period were marked for their ownership to the
devil and his ways, so the godly of the Millennial reign of the Messiah will also be
marked, but as the children of God.
REVELATION 14: 9-10
And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone worships the beast
and its image, and receives a mark in his forehead or in his hand, he also will drink of the wine
of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be
tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.
REVELATION 22: 1-5
And he showed me a pure river of Water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the
throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of its street, and of the river, from here and from
there, was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve fruits, each yielding its fruit according to one
month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And every curse will no
longer be; but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will serve Him.
And they will see His face, and His name will be in their foreheads. And there will be no night
there. And they need no lamp, or light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light. And they
will reign forever and ever.
Virtually all of the wicked will have been destroyed in the presence of Yahshua and His
holy angels at His return, most especially those in authority of the Babylonian systems,
so from then and to forever no memory of those who persecuted the saints so greatly
will ever come into their minds again.
ISAIAH 26: 14
Dead ones do not live; departed spirits do not rise. Therefore You have visited and
destroyed them, and made all memory of them to perish.
But the people of God will be like precious jewels in a crown, a crowning glory for the
King of kings whose workmanship they will be, lifted up like a banner as the ultimate
victory of the Cross.
ZECHARIAH 9: 10, 16-17
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem. And the battle
bow shall be cut off, and He shall speak peace to the nations; and His dominion shall be from
sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth… And YHVH their God shall save them
in that day as the flock of His people; for they are as stones of a crown, lifted up as a banner
over His land. For how great is its goodness and how great its beauty! Grain shall make the
young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.
Let us therefore live in eager expectation for the call to the marriage supper of the Lamb,
ready to be delighted in as our Lord’s most prized creation of them all.
SONG OF SOLOMON 2: 10-14
98
My Beloved spoke, and said to me, Rise up, My love, My beautiful one, and come away.
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over; it goes to itself. the flowers appear on the earth; the
time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land; the fig tree puts
forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, My love, My
beautiful one, and come away. O My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the
stairs, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is
beautiful.
99
* One might point to the disciple Stephen’s vision of Yahshua standing on the right
hand of the Father (Acts 7:55-56) and claim that the Father is a physical personage, but
these verses don’t describe a physical manifestation, rather they speak of the glory of
God, of which Yahshua stands on the right hand. Because Yahshua said that He has sat
down with His Father upon the Father’s throne (Revelation 3:21) it is easy to fill in the
blanks of Stephen’s vision by imagining the Father as a physical personage sitting upon
His throne. But Yahshua is simply stating that He has resumed the authority that He
gave up when He condescended to Earth as a man, and that we too can reign with Him
in that authority (as the Conclusion of this book goes on to explain).
** One might argue that because the Law is to be present in the Millennium, then
the heavens and earth cannot pass away until the end of it.
MATTHEW 5: 18
For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall
in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.
But Yahshua isn’t saying that the passing away of the heaven and earth is the point
at which the Law passes away, simply that it will not have passed away at any point
before this event. The above verse can quite legitimately be translated as “even till the
heaven and the earth pass away…”
The context of Yahshua’s words is His assurance that He has not come to do away
with the Law, and so He speaks of an event that cannot be missed (the passing away of
heaven and earth) and which is tied to His return, so that everyone is clear that the Law
still stands until He is ready to return, at which point He will enforce it and there will
be no doubt that He means what He says.
Thus Yahshua was also able to say, without contradiction:
MATTHEW 24: 35
The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.
100
It is important to realise that the Bible gives most of its warnings not to the righteous
(who are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise), nor particularly to the world (which is
not even listening), but to those who mistakenly take the name of God upon themselves
when they are not actually saved.
PSALM 95: 6-11
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before YHVH our maker. For He is our
God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear
His voice, harden not your heart, as in the day of strife, as in the day of testing in the wilderness;
when your fathers tempted Me, tested Me, and saw My work. For forty years I was grieved
with this generation, and said, It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they have not
known My ways; to whom I swore in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest.
We should note that the people who go astray in their hearts are those who have not
known - that is consciously chosen not to follow - the ways of God; the first generation
of Israelites in the wilderness had God’s laws imprinted in stone for them, and yet still
it is said of them that they did ‘not know His ways.’ This is because to know God’s
ways is to follow them, just as to know Yahshua is to follow Him (1 John 2:6); to follow
the Word. As eternal life is to know God (John 17:3), we can only do this if we follow
His ways, by which we imbibe within ourselves His holy character and behaviour.
The same situation exists in the churches as it did within the tribes of Israel; many
professed Christians say that they do not need to follow God’s ways because He knows
their heart, but in Psalm 95 as in many other places in the Bible, God says that a true
heart is synonymous with knowing His ways. Because most people who go to church
think that all they need to do to be saved is to linguistically profess the name of Jesus
(from a misunderstanding of Romans 10:9-13), they do not realise that the churches have
many unconverted souls, as did ancient Israel. Thus much of the Bible is an appeal to
“believers” to test themselves to see if they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). It should
not be a surprise then to see the same warning that was given to Old Testament Israel
repeated for New Testament Israel.
HEBREWS 3: 7-15
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your
hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers
tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was grieved with that
generation and said, They always err in their heart, and they have not known My ways. So I
swore in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest." Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any
of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily,
while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are
made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while
it is said, "Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation."
The writer to the Hebrews is making the point that even if someone is attending church
with everybody else, they are not necessarily following after God. Only those who are
truly saved will persevere in the faith to the end, but we shouldn’t wait until then to find
out! Remember Lot’s wife, Yahshua tells us in Luke 17:32. Just like the Israelites of the
Old Testament, we can be part of the great company in a physical sense, but still be
departing from the living God in a spiritual sense if we are not following His ways.
101
LUKE 12: 47-48
And that servant who knew his lord's will and did not prepare, nor did according to His will,
shall be beaten with many stripes. But he not knowing, and doing things worthy of stripes, shall
be beaten with few stripes. For to whomever much is given, of him much shall be required. And
to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
There is an onus upon each of us to learn our Lord’s ways; there will no be excuse on
the Day of Judgment (such as, ‘we did not know them’) because we have His word and
we are expected to study it (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2, 1 Thessalonians 5:21) before putting
it into practice. For this reason our Lord will not return until the gospel has gone out to
the whole world (Matthew 24:14) so that He is fair in His judgment to all people. And
that day is coming closer.
We are therefore encouraged to abide in Christ, to dwell and live in the Word, so that
when He returns we will not be ashamed at His coming.
1 JOHN 2: 28
And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He is revealed, we may have confidence
and not be ashamed before Him in His coming.
1 JOHN 4: 16-17
And we have known and believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and he who
abides in love abides in God, and God in him. In this is our love made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment, that as He is, so also we are in this world.
JOHN 15: 10
If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love.
This is the whole purpose of the gospel; not to indulge us as we habitually live in sin,
but to lead us progressively into God’s ways - the ways of love and holiness – through
His Spirit dwelling within us.
EPHESIANS 3: 8-9, 19
This grace is given to me (who am less than the least of all saints) to preach the gospel of
the unsearchable riches of Christ among the nations, and to bring to light what is the fellowship
of the mystery which from eternity has been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus
Christ;… and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with
all the fullness of God.
2 CORINTHIANS 11: 2
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one Man, to
present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
EPHESIANS 5: 25-27
102
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might
present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that
it should be holy and without blemish.
2 PETER 3: 13-14
But according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking for these things, be diligent, spotless, and
without blemish, to be found by Him in peace.
The apostles are not telling us to earn our salvation, or saying that we can become
perfect in this lifetime, but are encouraging us to be blameless according to the Law so
that we can enjoy the blessings of those who are to be counted great in the Kingdom of
God. Despite what man may say, to keep the law is entirely feasible; even those living
before the first fulfilment of Pentecost were already capable of keeping the Law (not to
be confused with fulfilling it, which is to live it in spirit as well as by letter).
LUKE 1: 5-6
In the days of Herod, the king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the
course of Abijah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And
they were both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord.
Seeing how there will be a resurrection of all people, we need to ensure that we will be
counted in the first resurrection by giving our lives over to Yahshua. This will be
marked by a desire to do those things that please Him. By following all of His
commandments we will be doing just that, as we live out of love for both God and His
children.
1 JOHN 3: 21-24
Beloved, if our heart does not accuse us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever
we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that
are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of
His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And he who keeps
His commandment dwells in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by
the Spirit which He gave to us.
REVELATION 14: 12-13
Here is the patience of the saints. Here are the ones who keep the commandments of God
and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from Heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they shall rest from their labours,
and their works follow them.
Once we have made this decision and received His Holy Spirit of promise, we can have
a sure hope that we will be increasingly capable of following His ways, and our
conscience will be clear.
103
ACTS 24: 14-16
But I confess this to you, that after the Way which they call heresy, so I worship the God of
my fathers, believing all things that are written in the Law and in the Prophets. And I have hope
toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust. And in this I exercise myself, always to have a blameless conscience
toward God and men.
HEBREWS 10: 19-25
Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His
flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies having
been washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (for
He is faithful who promised), and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good
works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
This Day will arrive when the time of the Gentiles comes to an end with all Israel having
been regathered from the nations and reunited with newly believing Judah, resulting in
the Resurrection of the Just (Luke 14:14).
ROMANS 11: 12-27
But if their [the Jews’] slipping away is the riches of the world, and their default is the riches
of the nations, how much more their fullness? For I speak to you, the nations; since I am the
apostle of the nations, I glorify my ministry; if by any means I may provoke those who are my
flesh to jealousy, and might save some of them. For if their casting away is the reconciling of
the world, what is the reception except life from the dead? For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump
is also holy; and if the root is holy, also the branches. And if some of the branches were broken
off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a sharer of the
root and the fatness of the olive tree with them, do not boast against the branches. But if you
boast, it is not you that bears the root, but the root bears you. You will say then, The branches
were broken off so that I might be grafted in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off,
and you stand by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural
branches, fear lest He also may not spare you either! Behold then the kindness, and the severity
of God; on those having fallen, severity; but on you, kindness, if you continue in the kindness.
Otherwise you also will be cut off. And those also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be
grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the natural wild
olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more these
being according to nature will be grafted into their own olive-tree? For I do not want you to be
ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should be wise within yourselves; that blindness in
part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the nations has comes in. And so all Israel shall
be saved; as it is written, "There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away
ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant with them, when I have taken away their sins."
But before that happens we will enter into the Tribulation, and it is important that we
go into that period of time as one of the wise, living blamelessly before both God and
man.
104
PHILIPPIANS 2: 14-16
Do all things without murmurings and disputings, so that you may be blameless and
harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.
Among these you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may
rejoice with you in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain.
The Beast will be given authority to overcome (subdue) the saints, so those who are
required to suffer the Tribulation must live humbly and without complaint in order to
persevere as lights in the world, not rising up in rebellion during a time when God’s
people will be counted as second-class citizens. This is the wisdom of the saints.
REVELATION 13: 7-10
And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was
given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation. And all dwelling on the earth will worship it,
those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the
foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity will go
into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed by a sword. Here is the
patience and the faith of the saints.
The wise will live as Daniel and his brethren lived in Babylon; despite living in captivity
to an antichrist empire, they obeyed this secular authority as far as it did not require
them to transgress the commandments of God, at which point they entrusted all their
care unto His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6-9). In this way they were able to bring much light
to a darkened world, and were qualified to say that the wise will shine like the stars for
ever and ever (Daniel 12:2-3).
It will be difficult, but it will still be possible to persevere in the faith in the days of the
Tribulation, for the above passage does not teach that everyone will worship the beast,
only that all those who are not written in the Book of Life will do so (v8). Many of
God’s elect will still be present in those days, calling on Yahshua to avenge them.
LUKE 18: 7-8
And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He has been
long-suffering over them? I say to you that He will avenge them speedily. Yet when the Son of
Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?
It is important to note that Yahshua is not saying that there will be no faith on the earth
when He returns, but that there must be faith on the earth in order for Him to do so
(Matthew 23:39). Indeed, we see in Psalm 46 that prior to our Lord’s return our faith will
be so strong that even the very events of the Great Tribulation itself will not be enough
to make us faint (and interestingly this song is for the virgins - Matthew 25?).
PSALM 46
105
To the Chief Musician. For the sons of Korah. A Song "For the Virgins". God is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear when the earth changes,
and when mountains are slipping into the heart of the seas. Let its waters roar and foam; let
the mountains shake with the swelling of it. Selah. There is a river, its channels gladden the city
of God glad, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she
shall not be moved; God shall help her at the turning of the morning. The nations raged, the
kingdoms were shaken; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. YHVH of Hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of YHVH, who makes ruins on the
earth; who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear
in two; He burns the chariots in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God! I will be praised among
the nations, I will be praised in the earth. YHVH of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge. Selah.
Whilst many will suffer great persecution in the Tribulation and be derided as devils
for preaching the truth, yet none of us are above the One Who walked this Way before
us and Who has overcome the world. We should not be afraid of anything to come as
long as we are living in the Spirit and walking according to His Word.
MATTHEW 10: 25-28
It is enough for the disciple that he is like his master, and the servant like his lord. If they
have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household?
Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and nothing
hidden which shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light; and what you
hear, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to
kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
JOHN 16: 33
I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you
shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
By the blood of the cross, Yahshua won back the rights to this world from Satan. Yet
the world has not yet been reconciled to God, for in His great mercy He continues to
give everyone the chance to repent.
COLOSSIANS 1: 19-22
For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell. And through Him having
made peace through the blood of His cross, it pleased the Father to reconcile all things to
Himself through Him, whether the things on earth or the things in Heaven. And you, who were
once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the
body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish, and without charge
in His sight…
However, all things on earth and all things in heaven will have been reconciled to the
Father by the end of Yahshua’s Millennial reign (1 Corinthians 15:22-28); the earth will
finally be cleared of all evil during the final attack on Jerusalem (Revelation 20:7-10)
and all the rebellious angels in addition to Satan will have been cast into the Lake of
Fire (Matthew 25:41). Then the unjust will be resurrected from hell for judgement and
also cast into the Lake of Fire, with death and hell forever destroyed (Revelation 20:1115). The appendix of this book deals with this matter in detail.
106
But what of the eternal fate of the saints? For this book has already established that the
final two chapters of Revelation do not speak of the eternal order but rather return to
the vision of the New Jerusalem in the Millennium. Where then is the eternal fate of the
saints explained?
Not in the book of Revelation, for this is a book of, “things which much shortly come
to pass,” (Revelation 1:1) i.e. those things that occur before eternity and are thus
considered “soon,” for a thousand years is as one day in the eyes of God, and we are to
have the same eternal perspective as He. Rather, our fate is to be found most fully
expounded in the book of Ephesians, where Paul explains the mystery of the Church.
EPHESIANS 1: 15-23
Therefore I also, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the saints, do not
cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what
is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and
what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the
working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He
seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power
and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age.
And He has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Scattered throughout Paul’s writings (many of which have already been noted) we are
told that we are to inherit all things that belong to the Father through Yahshua, and most
expressly in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explains that this is because the saints are
to become the dwelling place of God, so that He can fill all things. In other words, the
whole universe will be our playground. Although this is not explained in the book of
Revelation, it is made reference to.
REVELATION 21: 7-8
He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But
the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and
brimstone, which is the second death.
Just as Yahshua sits on the right hand of the Father, so too will we.
EPHESIANS 2: 4-7
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we
were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has
raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the
ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus.
107
Here we are told that in the ages to come we will enjoy God’s creation to its fullness.
We will not be limited to a single planet, but we will spread out across the vast cosmos
that has been created for Yahshua (Colossians 1:16) and hence also for us by inheritance.
There is little chance that God would let humanity spread throughout the universe until
all of the rebellious angels had been dealt with and all sin had been expunged from the
Elect. This current earth upon which we walk as pilgrims is a vital proving ground to
prepare us for the riches of His grace in the ages to come, but that future lies beyond
the stars.
One last subject that needs to be addressed is of the timing and nature of Paradise; the
third Heaven spoken of by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians.
2 CORINTHIANS 12: 1-4
Indeed, it is not profitable for me to boast. For I will come to visions and revelations of the
Lord. I know a man in Christ fourteen years before (whether in the body, I do not know; or
outside of the body, I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught up to the third Heaven.
And I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I do not know; God knows),
that he was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not allowed for
a man to utter.
It is clear that Paradise already exists, for Yahshua said to the thief on the cross that he
would be with Him in Paradise that very day (Luke 23:43). Therefore Paradise (the third
Heaven) must be what we generally refer to as Heaven; where the redeemed go when
they die (Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 6:9-10). That the third Heaven is in fact Heaven (the
realm of the dead) explains why Paul was not allowed to speak about it, for such
information is restricted and all other means to obtain it is forbidden according to God’s
law (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).
Now why does Paul call Paradise, “the third Heaven?” It is generally believed that the
first heavens are the earthly atmosphere, the second heavens are where the planets and
constellations reside, and the third Heaven is either deep space or something beyond
our universe (some other dimension perhaps). It is also where the Tree of Life currently
resides (Revelation 2:7) and may therefore be synonymous with the Garden east of Eden.
This leads to a point of interest; we know the general location of the Garden east of
Eden from Genesis 2:9-14, but no one has ever come across it, nor the cherubim, nor the
flaming sword which guards the entrance into it (Genesis 3:24). Could it be that the Fall
had even greater repercussions than we usually attribute to it? Could it be that the
Garden east of Eden is where it has always been, but that it is currently hidden to our
physical senses?
108
It is this author’s conjecture that Heaven/Paradise is a higher dimensional reality
parallel to our own (Hebrews 12:1, Proverbs 9:18 (AMP)), that we cannot see or interact
with. It is possible that the manner in which the cherubim guard the way to the Tree of
Life is by keeping it hidden in these higher dimensions, and that in the Millennium it
will “descend” to exist once again in our limited dimensional existence for the healing
of the nations and to provide eternal life for the redeemed.
Also consider the thought that whenever the scriptures speak of the heavens being
opened (Ezekiel 1:1, Matthew 3:16, John 1:51, Acts 7:56, 10:11, Revelation 19:11) it could
be that the prophets are given to see another dimension of reality that is currently kept
from us. When we remember that our resurrected Messiah appears to be able to pass
through walls (John 20:19, Luke 24:36-37), it may be that when we receive our glorified
bodies we too will be able to interact with these higher dimensions, perhaps explaining
how we will be able to rise into the air to ascend and descend between the two holy
cities of Jerusalem.
According to theoretical science, access to such higher dimensions would include other
dimensions of time as well as space, and would therefore explain how visions of the
future can be provided to the prophets when the heavens are opened to them (and how
diviners and fortune tellers can have some limited form of success - Deuteronomy 13:13). One such vision of the future was given to Isaiah in the year that king Uzziah died
(below) and it serves as a wonderful penultimate scripture for this book of new creation
prophecies; now that we understand how Yahshua will reign as King of kings, high and
lifted up in His temple upon Mount Zion with the whole land of Israel full of His glory.
This prophecy should inspire us to keep preaching the Good News of His coming
Kingdom until the day of His return.
ISAIAH 6: 1-12
In the year that King Uzziah died I then saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up,
and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he
covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to
another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is YHVH of Hosts; the whole earth [land of Israel] full of His
glory. And the doorposts moved at the voice of the one who cried, and the house was filled
with smoke. Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, YHVH of Hosts. Then
one of the seraphs flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, snatched with tongs from the altar.
And he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken
away, and your sin purged. And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I; send me! And He said, Go, and tell this people, You
hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of
this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then
I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and
the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until YHVH has moved men
far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
So as we approach the time of Jacob’s trouble, let us hold firm to the immutable
promises given through Abraham of our coming Judge, Lawgiver, King and Saviour
(Isaiah 33:22), Whose glorious name will be blessed forevermore.
109
ISAIAH 51: 1-11
Listen to me, pursuers of righteousness; seekers of YHVH: Look to the rock from which you
were cut, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For
YHVH shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness
like Eden, and her desert like the garden of YHVH. Joy and gladness shall be found in it,
thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My
nation; for a law shall go out from Me, and I will make My judgment to rest for a light of peoples.
My righteousness is near; My salvation has gone out, and My arms shall judge peoples; the
coastlands shall wait on Me, and on My arm they shall trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look on the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth
shall become old like a garment; and its inhabitants shall die in the same way. But My salvation
shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be broken. Listen to me, you who know
righteousness, the people in whose heart is My Law; do not fear the reproach of men, nor be
afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat
them like wool; but My righteousness shall be forever, and My salvation from generation to
generation. Awake! awake! Put on strength, O arm of YHVH. Awake! as in the days of old, in
the generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab into pieces, piercing the sea-monster?
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of
the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of YHVH shall return
and come with singing into Zion; and everlasting joy shall be on their head. Gladness and joy
shall overtake them; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Is Eternal Punishment Eternal Suffering?
110
Search the Bible and you will find that ‘eternal suffering’ does not appear anywhere in
the word of God in relation to the fate of the wicked. There is only one place where a
mention of eternal torment is found, and this is applied only to the Devil.
REVELATION 20: 10
And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
This scripture will be dealt with in detail towards the end of the appendix, and a similar
(but not identical) scripture with reference to the torment of the wicked of mankind will
be covered in the next section. But firstly it is important to show from scripture that hell
itself is not eternal.
REVELATION 20: 13-14
And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead in them. And
each one of them was judged according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death.
We can see that there is a clear difference between Hell and the Lake of Fire. As the
wicked are resurrected from hell, which is thereafter thrown into the Lake of Fire along
with death, it would appear that metaphorical language is being used in this scripture to
describe the destruction of all that is contrary to God’s eternal plan. But for the present,
and for the thousand year millennial reign of Christ, Hell is the destination of all the
unrepentant, so we will begin by determining exactly what it is.
Now, rather than a fiery torment, hell it is actually a place of darkness.
2 PETER 2: 4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered
them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment…
2 PETER 2: 17
These [the wicked] are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to
whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
The torment of hell in the Bible is only likened to flame, and thus we find mixed
language for the pains of hell, alternating between darkness and fire.
MATTHEW 8: 12
But the children of the kingdom [unbelieving Israel] shall be cast out into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
MATTHEW 13: 41-42
111
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all
things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
2 SAMUEL 22: 6
The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me…
LUKE 16: 23-24
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also
died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far
off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this
flame.'
If the flame the rich man speaks of was real fire, he would not have been capable of
speaking intelligibly; but it is only his spirit that is in hell. It becomes clear from
scripture that the fire of hell is not a physical fire but rather an inner turmoil that plagues
the spirit of the unrepentant sinner, as fire would torment the body. But even if it were,
and if fire could indeed harm the naked spirit, we would still need to ask whether the
sinner in Hades would really ask for just a single drop of water on his tongue? Would
that make any difference to the fire tormenting his entire spirit? The contrast might even
make it worse… So this is clearly not physical pain, but the real torment here is the
unrelenting nature of spiritual anguish, a man reaping what he has sown in life. In hell
there is no drug to dim our sorrows, no entertainment to numb the emptiness of our
souls, and no companionship of others in which to hide us from introspection. The rich
man’s request for a drop of water on his tongue therefore seems to represent a request
for a temporary respite to his anguish - a request that is subsequently denied.
But torment in hell will come to an end eventually, when the wicked are resurrected to
stand before Yahshua at the Great White Throne Judgment.
REVELATION 20: 11-13
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. 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. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their
works.
Then hell and death are thrown into the Lake of Fire, followed by the wicked.
REVELATION 20: 14-15
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
112
So in order to understand the fate of the wicked we need to understand the nature of the
Lake of Fire and to differentiate between the scriptures that speak of this Lake and those
that don’t. In the process we will also analyse passages of scripture that deal with the
judgments of God on the world and its inhabitants prior to Yahshua’s second coming,
for these are most often confused with the eternal order.
REVELATION 14: 9-11
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast
and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink
of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.
He shall 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 ascends forever and ever; and they have
no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of
his name.”
This is the primary passage of scripture usually adopted to speak of the eternal suffering
of the wicked. But it must be understood in its context, which is during the vial
judgments of God being poured out upon the world in the days leading up to the return
of our Messiah. This is a scene of God’s wrath being unleashed upon the world to
destroy the institutions of wickedness, and a warning to everyone who partakes in them.
It is not a scene from the eternal order. The preceding verse helps to put this into
context:
REVELATION 14: 8
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,
because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
This is the background. Babylon in Iraq, rebuilt and re-established as the world’s
political and religious centre during the reign of the antichrist, has just been destroyed
by God for leading the entire world into the fullness of wickedness. The following
verses are then a further warning to those who might still align themselves with such
wickedness. If they do still take up this mark of the beast, then they will likewise
experience the divine wrath when Yahshua returns with His holy angels.
MATTHEW 16: 26
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what
will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father
with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
The fire and brimstone that torments the wicked in Revelation 14 is not hell, but the fiery
destruction that comes with Yahshua and His angels when He returns:
2 THESSALONIANS 1: 7-9
113
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power…
It should therefore be clear that the fiery torment in Revelation 14 is not speaking of the
eternal order, neither of hell, but of the second coming of Christ.
Also note that the everlasting destruction mentioned in 2 Thessalonians (the nature of
which is explored later in this appendix) is distinct from the fiery destruction that
Yahshua causes at His second coming; the torment of the wicked in Revelation 14 is
mentioned whilst in the presence of the Lord, whilst in the Second Thessalonians
passage we are told that the wicked will afterwards be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord. Everlasting destruction is thus a subsequent
punishment to the fiery one that is meted out in the presence of Yahshua and His holy
angels.
So comparing these two passages together makes it clear that Revelation 14 is not
speaking of the wicked being in eternal torment in the presence of Yahshua and His
holy angels. Verse eleven of Revelation 14 also needs to be treated in context and read
with a careful eye; firstly, notice the difference between Revelation 14 and Revelation 20:
REVELATION 14: 11
And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever…
REVELATION 20: 10
…and he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

In Revelation 14 it is the smoke of their torment which is eternal, in relation to
the wicked of mankind. In Revelation 20 it is the torment itself which is eternal, in
relation to the Devil.

Revelation 20 speaks of the eternal order, whilst Revelation 14 speaks of a
temporal judgment by God upon the world’s system of government - this is revisited in
Revelation 18 from the perspective of the merchants who were made rich from future
Babylon.
REVELATION 18: 15, 18
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the
fear of her torment, weeping and wailing… And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning,
saying, What city is like unto this great city!
The smoke is the after-effects of the burning vengeance of God that tormented the
inhabitants of Babylon as they died, rising forever as it dissipates into the atmosphere,
seemingly speaking of the finality of the judgment and not of the torment itself.
PSALM 37: 20
But the wicked shall pass, and the enemies of YHVH shall be like the beauty of pastures;
they are consumed, like smoke they perish.
114
That the torment of the wicked first spoken of in Revelation 14 is temporal and not
eternal is further elucidated in the close of verse eleven, which speaks in the ongoing
present tense:
REVELATION 14: 11
…and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever
receives the mark of his name.
Note that it doesn’t say they will have no rest day or night, but they have no rest day or
night. Again, note that it does not say those who worshipped or received, but those who
worship and receive. This is ongoing temporal judgment of the wicked whilst still on
earth.
When Yahshua returns in flaming fury with His holy angels, the destruction of all the
wicked in His holy anger is not immediate; the war of Armageddon stretches over many
days before Yahshua arrives in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives and makes a final end
of His enemies. Revelation 14 is speaking of the torment of those who side with the beast
and get caught up in the earth-shattering conditions of Yahshua’s violent arrival. They
have no rest because they are constantly fleeing from danger.
AMOS 5: 18-20
Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the
LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went
into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the
LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
So it must be understood that Revelation 14 is speaking of the torment, chaos and terror
caused by the second coming of Christ, not of the eternal order of the wicked. It is worth
reading this passage again (Revelation 14:8-12) in light of the proper context.
Another issue to address is that of eternal fire, which is wrongly interpreted as a fire
that burns eternally. For the word eternal (or everlasting) is not descriptive of the fire
itself but of the source of the fire. This is apparent from the epistle of Jude and the books
of Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Hebrews.
Firstly from the epistle of Jude…
JUDE 1: 7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves
over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire.
115
Clearly there is not still a raging inferno where Sodom and Gomorrha once stood
(instead, we have quite the opposite; a large body of salt water called the Dead Sea, the
lowest lake on earth, reminding us of the fate of Lot’s wife who loved a depraved world
more than a holy God). Suffering eternal fire does not mean that the destruction process
is eternal, but is the fire itself eternal?
A stronger indication that the descriptive word “eternal” refers to the source of the fire
and not the fire itself can be gained from the books of Deuteronomy, Isaiah and
Hebrews.
DEUTERONOMY 4: 24
For YHVH thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
ISAIAH 33: 14-15
Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with
everlasting burnings? He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly…
(You can see there is a major problem with this previous verse if one considers these
“everlasting burnings” and “devouring fire” to be hell)
HEBREWS 12: 29
For our God is a consuming fire.
Now look back at the verse from the epistle of Jude and notice that scripture says,
“vengeance of eternal fire,” not, “vengeance by eternal fire.” The eternal fire is not
simply the means of vengeance but also the object taking vengeance - that is God
Himself. The fire is God.
Now even if eternal fire did mean a fire that burns eternally, the fact remains that eternal
fire does not necessitate eternal burning in that fire, as Sodom and Gomorrha proves.
The study that follows elucidates this further…
Let us look at a very vivid saying of Yahshua that has often been used to portray an
eternal suffering in the fires of hell.
MARK 9: 43-48
And if your hand offends you, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than
to have two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched where their worm
dies not, and the fire is not quenched. And if your foot offends you, cut it off. It is better for you
to enter into life lame than to have two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be
quenched where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. And if your eye offends
you, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have
two eyes to be cast into hell fire where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.
Many preachers assume this is a reference to the eternal state, or the spiritual state of
the wicked between death and resurrection. But it is neither…
116
We must be aware that Yahshua rarely provided new revelation, but would often
represent teachings out of the Old Testament which contained much of what His people
needed to know but which they had failed to understand (much like today). So we can
often find a reference to His teachings from this same source; in this case we must turn
to the words of Isaiah.
ISAIAH 66: 23-24
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to
another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith YHVH. 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.
Isaiah was prophesying of the Millennial period, when Yahshua has returned to reign
as King from Jerusalem. People from all over the Earth will go to worship Him there.
At the same time they will be required to visit the valley of Gehanna (the Greek form
of Gehinnom, which means ‘son of Hinnom’), which contains the dead bodies of those
whom Yahshua will kill on His triumphant return to Jerusalem at His second coming
(as detailed in Psalm 110 and in many of the other writings of the prophets). These bodies
will miraculously burn continually throughout the Millennium as a reminder that
wicked rebellion to God leads only to death.
The prophet Jeremiah also spoke about the valley of Gehanna, which had become a
burning ground for refuse in his time and would later be used to burn the dead bodies
of Jews when the Romans invaded in 70AD. So when Yahshua spoke of the worm that
never dies (the body) and the unquenchable fire, and when He used the word Gehanna
for hell (as seen in the original Greek language of the New Testament), He was referring
to the literal prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and using them as a metaphor to speak
of the severe consequence of sin.
This conclusion that Yahshua was using Gehanna as a metaphor for hell in Mark 9 has
supporting evidence from the New Testament as well, for the apostle James also used
the word Gehanna in association with metaphorical fires:
JAMES 3: 6, AMP
And the tongue is a fire. [The tongue is a] world of wickedness set among our members,
contaminating and depraving the whole body and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle
of man's nature), being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna).
A second point that needs to be considered with regards to the passage in Mark 9 is that
something is not eternal just because it cannot be quenched. We see this clearly in the
writings of Jeremiah.
JEREMIAH 21: 12
O house of David, thus saith YHVH; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that
is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can
quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
117
This was a warning to the kingdom of Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity. But after
the captivity, God’s fury was abated and He restored His people to the land. Thus when
God said that His fury could not be quenched, He was not speaking of an eternally
lasting fury, but of a fury that could not be dissuaded until it had fulfilled its purpose.
God’s warning was based on the fact that no one can stand against the plans that He
purposes; that is why His fury is unquenchable. The same meaning can be applied to
the unquenchable “fires” of hell, in that they will last only for as long as they fulfil
God’s purpose in punishing the sinner; as this appendix will later reveal.
2 THESSALONIANS 1: 9
[The wicked] Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord, and from the glory of his power…
The most common understanding for the punishment of ‘everlasting destruction’ is for
the wicked to be left in eternal torment within the Lake of Fire. But the source for this
doctrine is not apparent. So just what is everlasting destruction?
We should first look at another scripture relating to the fate of the wicked.
2 PETER 2: 17
These [the wicked] are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to
whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
At first reading it seems that the wicked are in an eternal state of disembodiment. But
the King James Bible is one of only a few translations that has the word “forever” in
this verse. All other translations simply state that the mist of darkness has been reserved
for the wicked. And if we look to the Greek, then we discover something very
informative about the word translated as “forever” and the time period it refers to.
Forever - G165 - αἰών - aiōn - ahee-ohn'
From the same as G104; properly an age; by extension perpetuity (also past); by implication
the world; specifically (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future): - age, course, eternal,
(for) ever (-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the, while the) world (began, without end). Compare
G5550.
So here we have another scripture that at first seems to be speaking of the eternal state
but which actually appears to be detailing the fate of the wicked only for a period of
time during the Millennium. There is further support for this theological position…
An alternative translation of “everlasting destruction” from the Greek provides us with
“perpetual death.” This translation finds support from Revelation 20:5 (below) and is in
conformance with the contextual time period of 2 Peter 2:17 (above).
REVELATION 20: 4-5
118
…And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the
Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark
on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished…
So, the mist of darkness is currently reserved for the wicked during the Millennial reign
of Christ, during which they suffer perpetual death and the sorrows of hell after being
put out from the presence of the Lord at His return, until they are resurrected for the
final judgment.
This brings all the relevant scriptures into agreement and clearly has nothing to do with
any idea of an eternal presence in the Lake of Fire. Hence everlasting destruction is in
fact perpetual death in the darkness of hell during the reign of Christ on Earth. A fate
that is shared with the wicked angels (2 Peter 2:4).
On the subject of eternal torment we must pay particular attention to Yahshua’s words
on the cross.
JOHN 19: 30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his
head, and gave up the ghost.
Yahshua died for our sins on the cross. He not only suffered great physical torment but
He also suffered the spiritual torment of God’s wrath being poured out upon Him that
should otherwise have come upon ourselves.
2 CORINTHIANS 5: 21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
ISAIAH 53: 4-5
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
1 PETER 2: 24
…who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might
live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
And yet we are told that Yahshua spoke the words, “It is finished.” What is the import
of this? Simply that there is an end to the punishment for sin.
119
For the wicked to suffer eternally would be to go beyond righteous justice and into the
realm of sadistic pleasure, as perpetuated by the Catholic Church. This is why the
subject of eternal torment is so important, because it misrepresents the character of God,
filling sinners with an unrighteous and ungodly fear, not a true godly fear that
encourages repentance before a righteous Judge.
There is a parable in Matthew 18, speaking of a servant who is summoned to his king to
account for a large debt that he owes. The servant asks for more time to pay it off. The
king, rather than granting the servant more time, graciously forgives the servant and
writes off the debt altogether. But the servant then fails to do the same for another
servant who is in debt to him, and so the king delivers the first servant to the tormenters
until he has paid off the debt that was earlier forgiven.
MATTHEW 18: 34
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was
due unto him.
It is generally accepted that this parable speaks of our relationship to God; as He has
forgiven us when we repent, we must also forgive those who repent for what they have
done to us. But what we also see here is that if the debt of sin is not forgiven us, then
we must be tormented in payment for that sin until it is paid in full. There is a limit.
Now some say that Yahshua died to pay for the sins of only those who repent, and that
because the saints are eventually made perfect, their sins are limited and thus can be
paid off, whereas the wicked will carry on sinning by cursing God in the fires of hell
and so therefore must be tormented forever. But scripture simply doesn’t back up this
view.
LUKE 12:58-59
“When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to
settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the
officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the
very last mite.”
Time and again, Yahshua expresses how sin must be paid for by the wicked until justice
is satisfied (unless like the Catholics we are willing to believe that such scripture
actually applies to the redeemed, who have to pay for their own sins in purgatory). Take
the fact that there are is also proportionate punishment, relating to how much an
unrepentant sinner knew the ways of God.
LUKE 12: 47-48
And that servant who knew his lord's will and did not prepare, nor did according to His will,
shall be beaten with many stripes. But he not knowing, and doing things worthy of stripes, shall
be beaten with few stripes. For to whomever much is given, of him much shall be required. And
to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
MATTHEW 23: 14
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and pray
at length as a pretence. Therefore you shall receive the greater condemnation.
120
There is a clear limit to the suffering endured. We also see proportional punishment
with regards to entire cities.
MATTHEW 11: 20-24
Then He began to upbraid the cities in which most of His mighty works were done, because
they did not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the powerful acts
which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago
in sackcloth and ashes! But I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day
of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to the heaven, shall be
brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in
Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the
land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.
The ‘day of judgment’ referred to here would appear to be the day of the Lord’s return
prior to the beginning of the Millennium, rather than the Judgment Seat of Christ at the
end of the Millennium. The latter is for individual sinners to be judged and cast into the
Lake of Fire, but the day of judgement referred to in Matthew 11 is when Yahshua will
judge nations, cities, and peoples according to their treatment of His people. Some
won’t even survive, such as Capernaum, which is brought down to hell. And some such
as Edom and Babylon will lay in perpetual ruin (as was revealed in the main body of
this book).
Whilst the matter of proportional punishment for collectives is a side issue to the topic
of eternal punishment, it has been briefly noted in order to fully address this issue of
variable punishment.
We can now move on to the matters of eternity.
REVELATION 21: 8
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death.
Once the wicked have suffered the sorrows of hell in perpetual disembodied death
within the mists of darkness during the millennial reign of Christ, they are resurrected
for the final judgment. Having not been found written in the book of life, they are
thrown into the Lake of Fire which is the second death.
Now is there any reason to believe that this death means anything other than death?
Does it mean everlasting torment, which is a phrase found nowhere in scripture in
relation to mankind?
Let us first take note of Yahshua’s warning to fear the one Who has the power to destroy
both soul and body in hell.
121
MATTHEW 10: 28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The “hell” that Yahshua is referring to cannot be Sheol/Hades (the place of the dead)
experienced by the wicked after the first death, because Yahshua states that the soul is
destroyed as well as the body, which would make the resurrection for the final judgment
impossible. The word translated as “hell” in this verse is ‘Gehanna,’ which has already
been noted as the valley of fiery refuse that would appear to symbolise the Lake of Fire.
So if both the body and the soul are destroyed, then what is left to be tormented? That
destruction in this context does not refer to the spiritual torment experienced during the
Millennium, but means destruction in the sense of annihilation, is clear from the
differentiation of the words “kill” and “destroy” in this verse. The body can be killed
and resurrected, but the soul cannot be killed; it is immortal and must therefore be
destroyed. This is the purpose of the Lake of Fire, to destroy the wicked once and for
all, once justice has been met. If the Lake of Fire was just another place to torment the
wicked, then why not just return the wicked to the hell from which they were resurrected
from? Why throw hell into the Lake of Fire at all, unless its purpose has been ended?
The conclusion this author comes to is that the Lake of Fire destroys the sinner in the
true sense of the word; eternal cessation of existence, and not everlasting torment. When
we consider that all things were created for God, and that He no longer desires nor has
any purpose for those who have forever rebelled against Him, then why would He keep
evil around?
COLOSSIANS 1: 15-17
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were
created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers
or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and
in him all things hold together.
Note that in him all things hold together. If the sinner is to be eternally separated from
God after the final judgment, then it stands to reason from this scripture that the sinner
cannot hold together. They therefore dissipate, ceasing to exist (although the sinner is
separated from the physical presence of the Lord during the Millennium, the spirit of
the Lord is still present (Psalm 139:7-8)).
It is hard to believe that God would eternally support the existence of any kind of evil,
for this was never the purpose of creation, nor the goal of redemption which is to
reconcile all things in heaven and earth through Christ (Colossians 1:20). You’re either
in or you’re out. Scripture says that the wicked do have a purpose in God’s plan, but it
is for the day of evil (to test and refine His people), not for eternity.
PROVERBS 16: 4
YHVH has made all for His purpose; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
122
And God has already shown His righteous judgment by pouring it out upon our Saviour
on the cross, and by punishing in hell until the very last mite has been paid those who
fail to repent along with the devil and his demons, before destroying all that offends.
There is no need or desire for Him to torment the wicked for eternity.
But what of the devil? He is thrown into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever, so
how is it that he is not destroyed?
REVELATION 20: 10
And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
This must be answered in two parts: the first to address both how and why the devil is
not destroyed by the Lake of Fire, and the second to address if God will allow him to
exist eternally in His creation.
First: The devil is a fallen angel, but nevertheless he is still an angel, and therefore has
an incorruptible body that cannot be destroyed in the conventional sense, unlike the
wicked of mankind who are resurrected to the same corruptible bodies as before and
not to the incorruptible glory of the saints. Only the redeemed will put on incorruptibility like the angels (1 Corinthians 15:53) and are therefore impervious to the second
death (2:11 and 20:6).
As the original instigator of sin in the heavens and the earth, and for continuing to lead
rebellion after being released from hell after a thousand years, the devil is clearly due
greater punishment than any of the wicked of mankind. Whilst not mentioned, it is to
be assumed that the other fallen angels will also join Satan in the Lake of Fire to be
tormented forever (2 Peter 2:4 and Matthew 25:41).
But here is another conundrum that we must sidetrack to for a moment; if the beast and
the false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire at the beginning of the Millennium in
order to be destroyed (Revelation 20:10), does this not cheat justice by exempting them
from the punishment reserved for the wicked during the Millennium in hell? One might
be quick to say that this is because the Lake of Fire does not destroy but torments.
Unfortunately different translations provide different readings as to whether the beast
and false prophet are destroyed or tormented, as revealed below.
The original King James is indeterminate as to who exactly is being tormented, whilst
the modern King James version focuses squarely on the devil alone, but the BBE
translation details all three of the unholy triumvirate suffering eternally.
REVELATION 20: 10, KJV
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.
REVELATION 20: 10, MKJV
123
And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
REVELATION 20: 10, BBE
And the Evil One who put them in error was sent down into the sea of ever-burning fire,
where the beast and the false prophet are, and their punishment will go on day and night for
ever and ever.
So we must ask why the beast and false prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire at the
beginning of the Millennium, instead of into hell along with the rest of mankind and all
of the fallen angelic host.
The reason is because the beast and the false prophet are not people. The beast is a
kingdom (as revealed in Daniel 7) whilst the false prophet is the corrupt religious
system; the harlot who rides the beast (Revelation 17). When we are told that they are
thrown alive into the Lake of Fire, it must be noted that this word can be translated as
lively, or quick; essentially we are being told that the antichrist’s empire will be
destroyed virtually overnight when our Lord comes to establish His kingdom. The beast
and the false prophet are therefore destroyed by the Lake of Fire in the same way that
death and hell are also destroyed forever (Revelation 20:14).
Second: Will God allow the devil to exist forever in torment, or could it be that there
is a limit to time as we know it? For instance, God exists outside of time, and we will
live in the eternities with Him.
ISAIAH 57: 15
For so says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose name is Holy; I dwell in the
high and holy place, even with the contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
2 PETER 3: 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.
ISAIAH 48: 16
Come near to Me, hear this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning. From its being,
I was there; and now the Lord YHVH, and His Spirit, has sent Me.
REVELATION 1: 8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and
who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
We see that there is a beginning and an end to time and that God exists beyond its
boundaries for all eternity. Perhaps then the devil will suffer until the actual end of time,
for which the expression “for ever and ever” could still have meaning.
124
The more that this word ‘forever’ is investigated in holy scripture, the more one gets
the sense that the truest meaning of the word is unceasing or uninterruptible, not eternal.
Below are a few verses from a passage that was examined earlier in this book (page 77)
regarding the transition of time from the Tribulation to the Millennium, and it is a very
good example of how this word “forever” is sometimes used.
ISAIAH 32: 13-15
On the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, on all the houses of joy in
the joyous city; because the palace shall be deserted, the multitude of the city shall be forsaken;
instead the mound and tower shall be for dens forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks
until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and
the fruitful field is thought to be a forest.
It is therefore clear that forever does not always mean eternity. Sometimes it does,
because we can be assured that when God says we will dwell with Him forever He truly
means for eternity (as we inherit all things and inhabit eternity with Him), but the word
“forever” is not always used in this context.
But this must be no comfort to those who choose to reject Yahshua. The severity of the
language that has been used in scripture to speak of the sufferance in hell and the great
lengths that God went to in order to save us from it must imprint the awful fate of the
wicked upon the minds of the rebellious in the hope that they may repent. The saint also
must have the truest understanding of what it cost our God to die on our behalf, that we
do not abuse His grace nor fail to offer Him the praise that He is due; if we try to belittle
the agony of hell in any way, then we diminish the glory and love of God. The terrors
of hell and the lake of fire must be plain, but we cannot take vengeance into eternity
without compromising the character of God either.
Whatever the case may be regarding the devil, let us be comforted that there is an end
to mankind’s suffering, whether through the mercy and grace of our Lord Yahshua
Ha’Mashiach, or through the terrible fate of a sinner’s own sufferance in hell before
their eventual destruction. Let us then praise our Saviour, for He died and suffered that
we might not have to.
ROMANS 5: 6-11
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even
dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not
only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received the reconciliation.
125
This book is protected by copyright only to insure the integrity of its content. The author
gives permission for readers to freely forward, print, download, and distribute this book,
unchanged and in its entirety, to anyone in the public domain.
© 2011 - 2015
Stuart Wall
126
And He said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the
Beginning and the End. To him who thirsts I will give of the
fountain of the Water of Life freely. He who overcomes will
inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and
brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21: 6-8)