The Events Leading up to the End!!
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Image #1
How things were in the beginning!
Before the entrance of evil, there was peace and joy throughout the universe. All was in perfect harmony with the Creator’s will. Love for God was supreme, love for one another impartial.[1]
Then at the end:
The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation.…from the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things,…in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.[2]
Let us look forward to a view of the details about how this comes about! How things are now in the present!
Image #2
So we are waiting for the second coming of Christ in the very near future.
And while we wait, the bible advises us:
Jam 5 (v. 7) Therefore be patient brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
If we can understand the work of a farmer, then we can get a clue about how to wait on the Lord.
Jam 5 (v. 8) You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (v. 10) My brethren take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
The christian needs to know that while we are waiting on the Lord, there will be suffering involved; because the devil hates anyone who is faithful, and who allows Christ to reproduce His character in them. But we need to endure until the end.
All who follow Christ will wear the crown of sacrifice. They will surely be misunderstood by selfish men, and will be made a mark for the fierce assaults of satan. It is this principle of self-sacrifice that his [devil’s] kingdom is established to destroy, and he will war against it wherever manifested.[3]
Image #3
Phil 1 (v. 29) For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
And of all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor.[4]
Jam 5 (v. 11) Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord―that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
How things will be in the future!
Next: the 2nd coming of Christ, then the 1st resurrection.
Image #4
When the Lord comes back the 2nd time, it will be loud with destruction!
Psm 50 (v. 3) Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. (v. 4) He shall call to the heavens from above.... (v. 5) Gather My saints together
to Me....
This is the second coming of Christ!
I Thes 4 (v. 16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout....with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (v. 17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
So, all that is remaining on the earth is dead people and the devil with his angels, because Jesus has taken all the redeemed to heaven.
Image #5
Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Here he will be confined, to wander up and down over the broken surface of the earth and see the effects of his rebellion against God's law. For a thousand years he can enjoy the fruit of the curse which he has caused. Limited alone to the earth, he will not have the privilege of ranging to other planets, to tempt and annoy those who have not fallen.[5]
During this time, Satan suffers extremely. Since his fall his evil traits have been in constant exercise. But he is then to be deprived of his power, and left to reflect upon the part which he has acted since his fall, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for all the sins that he has caused to be committed.[5]
So, there is a thousand year period of suffering for the devil on this earth and at the same moment, a period of time for the saints to spend with Christ up in heaven.
Rev 20 (v. 4) ....And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (v. 5) But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
So, the first resurrection happens at the same time that Christ comes back the 2nd time.
Rev 20 (v. 6) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Discover how things will finally end on the next webpage!
References:
1. The Great Controversy, p.493, par.1
2. The Great Controversy, p.678, par.3
3. The Desire of Ages, p.223, par.4
4. The Desire of Ages, p.225, par.1
5. Early Writings, p.290, par.1
Image #1: God's Hot Spot, (2014). The city of heaven with many angels. Retrieved from https://godshotspot.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/heaven-found/
Image #2: Waiting for the Word, (2015). The coming of the Lord is at hand. Retrieved from https://www.haikudeck.com/getting-ready-for-the-harvest-education-presentation-hO8HiLyyaF#slide11
Image #3: 100 Inspirational Quotes That Summarize The Wisdom About Life, (n.d.). God has placed you where you are at. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.org/374084/read-these-top-100-most-repinned-picture-quotes-on-pinterest
Image #4: Jesus loves you today, (n.d.). The return of Jesus is near. Retrieved from http://www.jesuslovesyoutoday.org/bible_study_pictures_and_notes/luke_14-17
Image #5: Author unknown, (n.d.). The devil having a 1000 years to reflect on the destruction of the earth. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB9qS1UKQ04
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