The answer to my title question from the viewpoint of world politics is an emphatic “No”! And the reasons are painfully obvious:

• Israel is a tiny country the size of New Jersey with a Jewish population of only 7 million. It is surrounded by 22 Arab countries with a population in excess of 350 million, nearly all of whom are dedicated to the annihilation of Israel.
• The Arab military forces adjacent to Israel now have sophisticated missiles, which they are willing to use indiscriminately.
• Iran (a non-Arab neighbor) has missiles capable of reaching Israel and is developing nuclear capacity. Its leaders have announced repeatedly that as soon as they produce a nuclear bomb, they will use it to annihilate Israel.
• The world’s major international organizations (the United Nations, the European Union, and the Vatican) are all committed to forcing Israel to surrender her heartland to the Arabs, leaving the country only 19 miles wide at its narrowest point.
• The same organizations are demanding that Israel surrender all or half of her capital city of Jerusalem.
• The world’s two superpowers, the United States and Russia, have joined the rest of the world in demanding the creation of a Palestinian state in the heartland of Israel, a state that would become a terrorist launching pad for the takeover of all of Israel.
• The people of Israel have grown war-weary after 74 years of never-ending hostilities.
• Many of the current leaders of Israel have grown corrupt and have lost the Zionist vision. And some of the most corrupt are religious leaders who will sell their souls for a shekel.
• The secularization of Israeli society has produced a loss of faith in God and in the truths of their religion, which, in turn, has generated an attitude of defeatism.
• Both the people of Israel and their leaders have embraced a policy of appeasement that only whets the appetite of the Arabs and encourages them to press harder for more and more Israeli capitulations.
• And so, understandably, from the world’s viewpoint, the annihilation of Israel is only a matter of time.

GOD’S PROTECTION

But there is a supernatural Power of Protection at work here that the world does not recognize nor understand. They should, because that Power, our Creator God, has manifested Himself on behalf of the Jewish people throughout history.

In the Bible, we read of empire after empire coming against Israel — the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans — yet, where are these empires today? They are all in the dustbin of history; whereas the Jews are back in their homeland with their own nation-state.

Likewise, in modern times, since the re-establishment of the state of Israel, the enemies of the Jews have come against them time after time in efforts to destroy them. In fact, the Jewish state has fought at least a dozen wars since 1948, and the periods between the wars have been times of extreme tension due to unending terrorist attacks.

Yet, despite all this never-ceasing violence, Israel has survived. The reason, of course, is that the Bible says, “He who keeps Israel, neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalm 121:4).

THE CRUCIAL QUESTION

But what about the future? Does Israel have any hope? Again, the world would answer with a resounding “No!” But what does the Bible say?

Well, my friends, it says just the opposite. The Bible portrays some dark days ahead for Israel, but it also asserts that Israel will come through those days victorious. Let’s take a look at the dark days that are prophesied.

DARK DAYS AHEAD

1) The War of Extermination

Psalm 83 states that the immediate neighbors of Israel will launch a war for the purpose of “wiping out Israel as a nation” (verse 4). The nations described as being a part of this nefarious effort are those with a common border with Israel today (verses 6-8) — Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Gaza.

The second half of the psalm is a prayer for the victory of Israel (verses 9-18). The war’s outcome is not specifically stated, but we know from other scriptures that Israel will be victorious.

For example, Zechariah 12:6 says that in the end times Israel will be like “a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples…”

Continuing, the prophet further asserts (Zechariah 12:8-9):

“In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them. And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

Prophecy scholar Bill Salus believes this war of annihilation will boomerang on the Arabs and will result in their overwhelming defeat, producing great territorial expansion and enhanced national resources for Israel. It will also produce the security spoken of in Ezekiel 38, where it says that before the War of Gog & Magog, Israel will live in security. Incidentally, it is during this war that Israel will most likely destroy Damascus, in fulfillment of prophecies in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49.

But the security provided by the Psalm 83 War will not last long because the Arab nations will most likely turn to their natural ally, Russia, and cry out for help — resulting in…

2) The War of Gog & Magog

This is the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39, where Russia comes down against Israel with certain specified Muslim allies. I believe the Russians will be delighted to respond to the Arab cry for help because they have always dreamed of taking the oil fields of the Middle East. They will, therefore, launch an invasion for the stated purpose of helping the Muslims destroy Israel. Their specific allies will involve the outer ring of Muslim states that surround Israel — all but Saudi Arabia.

I believe Russia’s unstated agenda will be to use the Arab invitation as an excuse to expand their sovereignty over all the Middle East. This ulterior motive is mentioned in Ezekiel 38:12, where it says the Russians will come “to capture spoil and to seize plunder.”

The invading armies will be supernaturally destroyed by God “on the mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:4). The Lord will accomplish this destruction through earthquakes, pestilence, hail storms, fire, brimstone and battlefield confusion (Ezekiel 38:19-22). Even the Jewish people will recognize that the victory belongs to God, and many will open their hearts to Him (Ezekiel 38:23).

The Timing of Gog & Magog

The greatest mystery concerning this war is its timing. Most have placed it at the beginning of the Tribulation. Others delay its start to the middle of the Tribulation. But increasingly, in recent years, the tendency has been to place it before the beginning of the Tribulation.

The best discussion of timing that has yet been written can be found in Ron Rhodes’ book, Northern Storm Rising (2008). He concludes that it is most likely to occur 3½ years before the Tribulation begins.

His conclusion is based on the following reasoning. The Tribulation lasts seven years. Ezekiel 39:9 says the Jews will spend seven years burning the weapons they will capture when Russia and its allies are destroyed in the Battle of Gog and Magog (possibly nuclear fuel). Revelation 12 says the Jews will flee from the land into Jordan 3½ years into the Tribulation when the Antichrist tries to eradicate them. Therefore, the only way the Jews could spend seven years burning the weapons is for the war to begin 3½ years before the start of the Tribulation.

Rapture Question

This raises a question: Does this mean the wars of Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 and 39 must occur before the Rapture? Not at all. The Rapture could occur any time before, during, or after these wars.

Keep in mind that the Rapture is not what marks the beginning of the Tribulation. The Tribulation will begin when the Antichrist signs a peace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27). Several years could elapse between the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation.

3) The Unveiling of the Antichrist

The next dark moment for the Jewish people will occur in the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist comes to Jerusalem and declares himself to be God.

Up to that point in time, the Jews will have considered this man to be their political savior because he will initiate the Tribulation time period by guaranteeing the safety of Israel and allowing them to rebuild their Temple. But once he comes to their rebuilt Temple and declares himself to be God, the Jewish people will totally reject him, and he will respond with a vengeance.

Satan will inspire him to once again try to annihilate the Jewish people, picking up where Hitler left off. Many of those in Israel will flee to Jordan. The Antichrist will pursue them, but he will not be allowed into Jordan because this remnant of the Jews will be given supernatural protection by God.

The Antichrist will then launch a second worldwide Holocaust, and in the process, he will manage to kill two-thirds of the Jews remaining in Israel and around the world. We find this prophecy in Zechariah 13:8-9:

“It will come about in all the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them…’”

This is the reason that Jesus referred to the last half of the Tribulation as “the great tribulation” — not because this half will be worse than the first half, but because the wrath of Satan will be focused on the Jews.

So, the Antichrist will be very successful in his war against the Jews, but he will fail in his ultimate goal of annihilating all of them. For we are told repeatedly throughout the Scriptures that a great remnant of the Jews will live to the end of the Tribulation, at which time they will receive Yeshua as their Messiah.

THE GOOD NEWS

1) The Return of Jesus

The good news for the Jewish people does not start until the return of Jesus to this earth at the end of the seven years of Tribulation. After the Jews have come to the end of themselves, due to their unparalleled persecution during the second half of the Tribulation, Jesus will appear in the Heavens, and the remaining remnant will repent and accept Him as their Messiah.

Here’s how it was described in general by Moses before the children of Israel entered their Promised Land (Deuteronomy 4:30): “When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.”

The prophet Zechariah describes it in greater detail (Zechariah 12:10): “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

The climax of this great day is related in the next chapter (Zechariah 13:1): “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.”

Jesus Himself stated in Matthew 23:37-39 that He would not return to this earth until a remnant of the Jews were ready to receive Him as their Messiah.

2) Regathering in Belief

When Jesus returns, all believing Jews on planet Earth will be regathered to Jerusalem. The current regathering is in unbelief. This one at the end of the Tribulation will be a regathering in belief. This regathering is mentioned in several places in the Hebrew Scriptures. Here’s one from the time of Moses (Deuteronomy 30:1-4):

“So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse… and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back.”

3) Primacy

We are then told in the Scriptures that Jesus will begin His millennial reign by establishing Israel as the prime nation of the world. Jesus will reign from Jerusalem as King of the World. David, in his glorified body, will reign as the King of Israel. Believers, in their glorified bodies, will be scattered across the earth to reign with Jesus over the Gentile nations.

Isaiah devotes three full chapters (60 thru 62) to a description of the blessings that God will pour out on the Jewish people during the Millennium. Just consider for a moment some of the blessings that Isaiah mentions:

• The Shekinah glory of the Lord will appear over the nation (Isaiah 60:2): “…the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.”
• Foreign aid will come from all the nations of the earth (Isaiah 60:5-6, 10, 16): “…The wealth of the nations will come to you. They will bring gold and frankincense…”
• Israel will be rebuilt (Isaiah 61:4): “Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations; and they will repair the ruined cities…”
• The Temple in Jerusalem will be beautified (Isaiah 60:7): “…I shall glorify My glorious house.”
• Israel will receive the respect of the nations for the first time in its history. Zechariah 8:23 says the Jews will be so respected that when one walks by, ten Gentiles will grab his robe so that they can walk with him. Isaiah puts it this way (Isaiah 60:2-3): “…The LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah adds (Isaiah 60:15): “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated with no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, a joy from generation to generation.”
• The peace and joy of the nation will be guaranteed (Isaiah 60:17): “…I will make peace your administrators and righteousness your overseers.”
• The Jewish people will be a channel of blessings to all the nations (Isaiah 61:11): “For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.”
• The city of Jerusalem will be adorned with blessings (Isaiah 62:1-3, 7):

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God… And [God will make] Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

• And the reason for all of this is that the Lord will make the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem His home during His Millennial reign (Isaiah 60:13): “…I shall make the place [Jerusalem] of My feet glorious.” Ezekiel confirms this statement in Ezekiel 43:7 — “He said to me, ‘Son of man, this [Jerusalem] is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever.’”

GOD’S PROTECTION

Israel has some very difficult days ahead, but God has made wonderful promises to them that they can rely on:

• “Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).
• “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17).
• “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:8-16).

Our nation needs to pay attention to these promises of God. In recent years, we have put enormous pressure on Israel to follow a path of appeasement by “trading land for peace.” In the process we have increasingly given encouragement to Israel’s sworn enemies. If we continue to manhandle Israel, we are guaranteeing our own destruction.

SUMMARY

In conclusion, the Scriptures teach that Israel will not only survive, but the nation will emerge as the prime nation in all the world as God fulfills His promises to the Jewish people and comes to live in their midst.

What a glorious day that will be — not just for Israel, but for all the world. A day of absolute victory is coming for Israel — that will also mean victory for the Church.

In Psalm 122 we are told to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” The Scriptures make it clear that Jerusalem will never experience peace until Jesus returns. So, when you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, you are praying for the Lord’s return.

We are also told in the New Testament to pray the Aramaic phrase, “Maranatha!” which means, “O Lord Come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). So each morning as you awake, pray for the peace of Jerusalem and then look to the sky and cry out in your heart, “Maranatha, Maranatha, Maranatha, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

And on the glorious day when that prayer is answered, the Jewish remnant will cry out, “Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai!!” meaning, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39).

Lamb & Lion Ministries

christinprophecy.org

 

 

 

 

 

(This 2009 article is Dr. Reagan’s edited excerpt from his book, Living for Christ in the End Times, 2000 pub. date.) It is as current today as it was then.

Can Bible prophecy give us hope?

Hope is essential to life. Without it, people descend into deep depression or commit suicide or simply lie down and die.

During the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl, who later became a world-renowned psychiatrist, was a prisoner in one of the Nazi death camps. He observed that every year as Christmas approached, hope would sweep the camp that the prisoners would be released on Christmas day. It was an irrational hope, but it was hope. Then, when Christmas would come and go without a release, hundreds of prisoners would just lie down and die. Without hope, they could not live.¹ Frankl concluded, “It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking to the future.”²

A Desperate Need

The world desperately needs hope in these end times. We live in a world of increasing fears — fear of nuclear holocaust, fear of economic collapse, fear of plagues like AIDS, fear of terrorism, fear of war, and — of course — fear of life and of death.

Our nation needs hope. Our economy has collapsed. People are losing their jobs. Houses are being foreclosed. Corporations that have been American icons for over a hundred years are declaring bankruptcy. Retirement funds have been wiped out. Many people are feeling a sense of desperation for the first time in their lives.

Everywhere people are looking for hope, and that includes Christians. Some might respond by saying, “Christians are the only ones who have any hope!” That is true, but the problem is that most professing Christians cannot articulate their hope beyond a vague statement like, “My hope is heaven.”

An Ignored Virtue

I came to this realization one day when I was reading Paul’s great love poem in 1 Corinthians 13. It ends with the famous phrase: “There are three things that remain [or abide] — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

As I thought about those words, it suddenly occurred to me that I had heard hundreds of sermons on faith and hundreds on love, but I could not think of a single one about hope.

At that moment, the Lord impressed upon my heart that hope is the most ignored of the Christian virtues. I knew instantly why that is true. It’s because hope is directly related to one’s knowledge of Bible prophecy, and there is no topic in the modern Church that is more ignored than prophecy.

Stop and think about it for a moment. What is your hope? How would you explain it to an unbeliever? Could you get beyond the words, “My hope is heaven”?

My Heritage

During the first 30 years of my life, I received almost no teaching about Bible prophecy, and I lived with little hope. If you would have asked me to define my hope, I would have given you a pathetic answer, based more on Greek philosophy than Hebrew theology.

I was taught that if I died before the Lord returned, I would experience “soul sleep.” In other words, I would lapse into total unconsciousness and lie in my tomb until the Lord returned. At His return, I was taught that a “big bang” would occur that would vaporize the universe. My soul would be resurrected, and I would go off to an ethereal world called Heaven where I would float around on a cloud and play a harp eternally.

For me, it was a grim picture. I didn’t like the idea of lying comatose in a grave for eons of time. The “big bang” scared me to death. I was repulsed by the idea of becoming some sort of disembodied spirit without any individuality or personality. I certainly could not get excited about playing a harp forever. In fact, I found that idea downright hilarious.

You see, I grew up in a church that believed it is a terrible sin to play a musical instrument in a worship service. Yet, we were going to play harps in Heaven eternally! It made no sense to me, so I wrote it off as a bunch of silly nonsense.

I had no one to blame but myself because I did not study God’s Word as I should have. When I finally started doing that, and the Holy Spirit began to lead me into a study of Bible prophecy, I started making discoveries about the future that ministered great hope to my spirit. In fact, I got so excited about my discoveries that I started jumping the pews and hanging from the chandeliers, shouting “Hallelujah”! and “Praise the Lord”! People thought I had gone Pentecostal overnight! No, I had just discovered God’s marvelous promises for the future that are designed to give us hope in the present.

The Fallacy of Soul Sleep

The first discovery I made concerned “soul sleep.” I found out it is an unbiblical concept. It is true that when we die, our bodies “sleep” metaphorically, but the spirits of the dead never lose their consciousness.

Jesus clearly taught this in His story about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). When they died, their spirits went to Hades. The rich man’s spirit went to a compartment in Hades called “Torments.” The spirit of Lazarus went to a compartment named “Abraham’s bosom.” On the Cross, Jesus referred to Abraham’s bosom as “Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The two compartments were separated by a “great chasm” which could not be crossed.

In Jesus’ story, both men are pictured as fully conscious. They even carry on a conversation with each other. Their souls are not asleep.

Further evidence of consciousness after death can be found in Revelation 7. John has been taken up to Heaven and is being given a tour of the throne room of God. He sees “a great multitude… from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues,” standing before the throne of God “clothed in white robes” and waving palm branches in worship (Revelation 7:9). They are fully conscious as they sing, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10).

John wants to know the identity of these people. He is told that they are martyrs for Christ coming out of the “great tribulation” (Revelation 7:14).

Here are two scenes in Scripture of people after death who are fully conscious.

Paul’s Affirmations

The Apostle Paul affirmed consciousness after death. In 2 Corinthians 5:8, he wrote that he would prefer to be “absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” He repeated this sentiment in his Philippian letter where he wrote, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). He elaborated on the meaning of this statement by adding that his desire was “to depart and be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23). Paul had no concept of lying comatose in a grave for eons of time. Upon death, he expected to be with the Lord immediately.

The Intermediate State

My second discovery was that we are not destined to an ethereal existence as disembodied spirits. Immediately after death, both the saved and the lost receive a body that I am going to call an “intermediate spirit body.” I have given it that name because it is a body that is intermediate between our current fleshly body and the ultimate, glorified body that saints will receive at the time of their resurrection.

The Bible does not tell us much about this body except that it is tangible and recognizable. An example of it is found in 1 Samuel 28 where we are told that King Saul, in his rebellion against God, sought the counsel of a witch. She, in turn, attempted to call up her familiar demon spirit. Instead, the Lord sent Samuel who had died some time before. The moment Samuel appeared, both the witch and Saul recognized him.

Another example of the intermediate spirit body can be found in Matthew 17 where the story is told of the Transfiguration of Jesus. This was when His disciples were given a glimpse of His coming glory. As they witnessed this marvelous event, suddenly two people appeared and began talking with them. The two were Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1-5).

Additional examples of intermediate spirit bodies can be found in the two biblical scenes I have already mentioned: The Rich Man and Lazarus in Hades (Luke 16) and the Tribulation Martyrs in Heaven (Revelation 7).

Glorification

When Jesus returns, the Bible says He will bring with Him the spirits of the saved (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). He will resurrect their bodies in a great miracle of re-creation (whether their bodies are preserved, rotted, cremated, or dissolved in the ocean). In the twinkling of an eye, He will reunite their spirits with their resurrected bodies and will then glorify their bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16). Then, those saints who are alive will be caught up (raptured) to meet the Lord in the sky, and they will be transformed on the way up (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

All my life I have heard people say, “There are two things in life that no one can avoid: death and taxes.” That statement is wrong. The only thing we cannot avoid is taxes and more taxes. A whole generation of believers will avoid death — the generation living when the Lord returns for His Church. It’s no wonder that Paul concluded this great passage in 1 Thessalonians by saying, “Therefore, comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

What is a glorified body? Paul wrote a whole chapter about the topic in 1 Corinthians 15. He said our glorified bodies will be imperishable, gloriously pure, powerful, and spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Paul further states that the glorified body will be immortal, and as such, will no longer be subject to death (1 Corinthians 15:53-55).

The Nature of the Glorified Body

Paul made a statement in his letter to the Philippians that I think provides us with a framework for understanding what our glorified bodies will be like. He wrote that when Jesus returns, He “will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21). In other words, our glorified bodies are going to be like Jesus’ resurrected body.

Now, think about that for a moment. After His resurrection, Jesus had a tangible body that could be touched and recognized (Luke 24: 41- 43 and John 20:27-28). People had difficulty recognizing Him at first, but that is understandable. If you buried your best friend one day, and he knocked on your door the next, would you recognize him? Wouldn’t you assume he was someone who looked like your friend? Once the disciples realized that Jesus had truly been resurrected, they had no more difficulty recognizing Him, even at a distance (John 21:1-7).

So, Jesus had a body similar to the ones we have now. It was tangible and recognizable. It was also a body that ate food. Jesus is pictured eating with His disciples several times, including a meal of fish on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Luke 24:30-31, 41-42, and John 21:10-13). I must admit that I get excited when I read these accounts of Jesus eating, and also when I read about our eating with Him in Heaven at the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7-9). I have this fantasy that we will be able to eat all we want in our glorified bodies and not have to worry about gaining weight! (That should be sufficient to prompt many of you to shout, “Maranatha!”)

A Different Dimension

The resurrected body of Jesus was similar to ours in many respects, but there were also some differences. Jesus’ body seemed to have a different dimension to it, for He could pass through a wall into a locked room (John 20:26), and He could move from one place to another almost instantly (Luke 24:30-36). One moment He was on the road to Emmaus, the next He was in Jerusalem, and then He would appear in the Galilee area.

His disciples were so startled and frightened by His ability to vanish and reappear suddenly at another place that they thought they were seeing a spirit. But Jesus countered that idea immediately by telling them, “Touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). When the Word says that our glorified bodies will be “spiritual” in nature (1 Corinthians 15:44), it does not mean we will be ethereal spirits. It says our natural body will be raised a spiritual body, not a spirit. We will still have a body, but it will no longer be controlled by the old sin nature, the flesh. Rather, it will be a body yielded completely to the control of the Holy Spirit.

There is one other thing the Bible reveals about the glorified body that should be a source of great comfort. The glorified body will be a perfected body. That means the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, and the mute will speak. Those who are mentally impaired will have their minds healed (Isaiah 29:18-19, 32:3-4, and 35:5-6). There will no longer be any pain or death (Revelation 21:4). God will “wipe away every tear,” and “there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

Meaningful Activities

My first discovery was that there is no such thing as “soul sleep.” We remain conscious after death. My second discovery was that we are not destined to be disembodied spirits. We continue to have a body — first, an intermediate spirit body, and then a glorified body. My third discovery was that we are not going to be bored stiff playing harps for eternity. We are going to be engaged in some meaningful activities.

If you are a believer and you die before the Lord returns, you will go to Heaven where you will be involved in worship (Revelation 7:9-14) and service (Revelation 7:15). Admittedly, the Bible does not get specific about our worship and service, but we can be assured that we will find both to be fulfilling and edifying. It could also be that this will be a time of rest, preparing us for the time of vigorous service that will follow when the Lord returns to earth.

Judgment and Rewards

At the time of the Rapture (most likely before the Tribulation), both the living and dead in Christ will receive their glorified bodies. We will be in Heaven with the Lord during the Tribulation. This will be the time of our judgment, not to determine our eternal destiny but to determine our degrees of reward. Each of us will stand before the judgment seat of Jesus and be judged as to how we used our spiritual gifts to advance His kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:10). Our works will be judged as to quantity, quality, and motive (1 Corinthians 3:13-15 and 4:5). Some will experience embarrassment as all their works are burned up as worthless (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Others will receive great rewards.

Some of the rewards will relate to the degree of ruling authority we will be granted during the Lord’s millennial reign (Luke 19:11-27). Others will consist of crowns and special robes. There will be a “crown of righteousness” for those who lived yearning for the return of Jesus (2 Timothy 4:7-8). A “crown of life” will be given to those who persevere under trial (Revelation 2:10 and James 1:12). Faithful elders and pastors will receive a “crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). Soul winners will be given a “crown of rejoicing” (Philippians 4:1 and 1 Thessalonians 2:19). An “imperishable wreath” will be given to those who exercise self-control (1 Corinthians 9:25). Even the clothing we receive will indicate our degrees of reward. It will in some way reflect “the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:8).

At the end of this time of judgment, we, the Bride of Christ, will sit down at a banquet table in Heaven to celebrate our union with our Bridegroom, Jesus. The Bible calls it the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). It will be a time of unparalleled celebration. The heavens will ring with “Hallelujahs”! (Revelation 19:1-6).

Witnesses of Glory

When the meal is completed, we will return to earth with Jesus (Revelation 19: 11-14). We will be there in our glorified bodies when His foot touches the Mount of Olives and that mountain is split in half (Zechariah 14:1-9). We will be there to shout “Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosanna to the King of kings!” as He rides down the Kidron Valley on His white horse and approaches the Eastern Gate. We will be there to witness the supernatural opening of that gate as it welcomes Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem (Psalm 24:7-8):

“Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.”

We will be there to shout, “Hallelujah”! when Jesus is crowned King of kings and Lord of lords and begins His glorious millennial reign.

The Millennial Reign

During the Lord’s reign, the Redeemed are going to be doing anything but floating around on clouds playing harps. We are going to reign with Jesus over those who are allowed to enter the Millennium in the flesh (which will be those believers who are alive at the end of the Tribulation). Jesus will reign over all the earth from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4) as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). David, in his glorified body, will reign as king of Israel (Ezekiel 37:24). Those of us who will be glorified saints will be scattered all over the earth to assist with Jesus’ reign (2 Timothy 2:12).

Think of it — every person on earth who is in a position of governing authority will be a glorified saint. Some of us will be in administrative positions, sharing in Jesus’ reign as presidents, governors, or mayors (Luke 19:11-27). Others will serve as judges (1 Corinthians 6:3). Most of us will serve as “shepherds,” or teachers, trying to bring those who are born during the Millennium to faith in Jesus (Isaiah 66:18-21 and Jeremiah 3:15).

None of us will serve as legislators because the law will be given by Jesus Himself, and it will be perfect (Isaiah 2:1-4). There will be no abomination known as the Texas Legislature or the United States Congress. Nor will there be any lobbyists or political parties.

The Lord will rule with “a rod of iron” (Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 2:27). The government of the world will be a theocracy, with Jesus serving as both the spiritual and political leader. “He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices” (Zechariah 6:13).

We will be given the blessing of seeing this old sin-sick world flooded with peace, righteousness and justice, “as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). There will be no homeless people or hungry people (Isaiah 65:21-22 and Micah 4:4). Peace will envelop the earth (Isaiah 2:4). The Lord’s reign will be characterized by righteousness, fairness, and faithfulness (Isaiah 11:4-5). “The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him. People from every nation will bow down before Him” (Psalm 22:27).

The Eternal State

When the Millennium ends and we move into the Eternal State, the Bible does not go into detail as to what our activities will be. It tells us only three things: we will see the face of God (Revelation 22:4); we will serve the Lord (Revelation 22:3); and we will reign with Him forever (Revelation 22:5).

Seeing the face of God is an exciting prospect, for the Bible says that no one has ever seen His face (Exodus 33:20 and 1 Timothy 6:16). I believe the promise of seeing God’s face means we are going to enjoy intimacy with Him forever. Much of that undoubtedly will be in the form of worship. I think it also means we will grow in our knowledge of the Lord forever. He is infinite, and no matter how much we come to know Him, there will be just that much more for us to experience. I feel certain that one aspect of this will be the eternal study of His Word. I get excited over all this as I think of singing the Psalms with David and studying the book of Romans with Paul.

As for service, I would imagine, for one thing, our gifts and talents will be magnified and that we will use them to glorify the Lord. Thus, a singer will be able to sing with a perfection and range never before achieved, and a painter will be able to paint with a glory never imagined.

Reigning with the Lord forever implies that we will be reigning over someone. Who that will be, I do not know. Perhaps it will be the mysterious “nations” referred to in Revelation that seem to inhabit the new earth (Revelation 21:24-27 and 22:2).

Our Eternal Home

This brings me to the fourth and final discovery I made when the Holy Spirit led me into an in-depth study of Bible prophecy. I discovered that the Redeemed are not going to live eternally in an ethereal world called Heaven. I learned, instead, that our eternal home is going to be on a new earth. Most Christians are amazed by this truth, which shows how little Bible prophecy is taught in the Church today.

Since the Bible teaches that the current earth is eternal (Psalm 78:69 and Psalm 148:6), I have concluded that the “new earth” will be the current earth renovated by fire. It is true that Peter said that the current earth will be “destroyed” by fire (2 Peter 3:10,12), but in the context, it is clear that he is referring to a radical transformation of the current earth.

Earlier in the same passage, he referred to the original earth as having been “destroyed” by water, speaking of the Noahic flood. The earth of Noah’s day did not cease to exist, but the flood “destroyed” it in the sense that it radically changed the nature of the earth — tilting it on its axis, splitting the continents apart, laying down the fossil record, depositing the marine organisms that would become petroleum deposits, and creating the ocean depths and the mountain heights.

At the end of the Millennium, fire will be used by God to burn away the pollution of Satan’s last revolt (2 Peter 3:12). In the midst of that fiery inferno, God will reshape the earth like a hot ball of wax. He will refresh it and restore it to its original perfection (Acts 3:21). He will then lower the new Jerusalem down to the new earth, with the redeemed inside (Revelation 21:1-2). Then, He Himself will come to earth to live in our presence eternally! “The tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them” (Revelation 21:3).

Heaven is where God resides. When the new earth is supplied, Heaven will descend to earth as God takes up residence on this new earth. So, it is true that the redeemed will live eternally in Heaven, but Heaven will be on earth.

The Redemption of All Creation

God loves His creation, and He intends to redeem it — all of it — and not destroy it with some mystical “big bang.” Jesus died on the Cross not only to redeem Mankind but also to redeem the Creation. That’s the reason the High Priest in Old Testament times sprinkled the blood not only on the mercy seat of the Ark but also on the ground in front of the Ark (Leviticus 16:15).

The blood on the mercy seat of the Ark was a symbolic prophecy pointing to the fact that the blood of the Messiah would cover the law of God (the tablets inside the Ark) with the mercy and grace of God. The blood on the ground was a reminder that the sacrifice of the Messiah would make it possible for the curse to be lifted and for the animal and plant kingdoms to be returned to their original perfection (Isaiah 11:6-9 and Romans 8:18-23).

An Unjustified Fear

Many people are afraid of Bible prophecy. They say it is full of “doom and gloom.” That is true for those who have rejected the Lord. But for those who know Him and love Him, there is only good news.

The Old Testament ends with an example of what I’m talking about. It says, “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze” (Malachi 4:1). That is bad news. But the very next verse contains incredibly good news for believers: “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves released from the stall” (Malachi 4:2).

Bible prophecy is full of glorious promises that are designed to give God’s people a strong sense of hope as they live as strangers and pilgrims in the midst of an increasingly evil, God-rejecting world. When you read these wonderful promises, you can understand why Paul wrote these words in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has seen, no ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

A God of Hope

As this verse indicates, we cannot even begin to imagine the marvelous blessings God has in store for the redeemed. But the very next verse says that the Holy Spirit has revealed those blessings to us in God’s Word (1 Corinthians 2:10). The sad thing is that most Christians are ignorant of those promises and therefore have no idea what Paul meant when he wrote: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

In Romans 15:13, Paul wrote: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Our God is a God of Hope who desires to fill us with hope. If you know Jesus as your Savior, you are an heir to some incredible promises, and if you know those promises and believe in them, you can live in this evil world with hope, joy, and great expectations.

As the world we have built on the dollar collapses around us, let us keep an eternal perspective with our hope fixed firmly on the soon return of Jesus. Maranatha!

Notes

1) Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (New York, NY: Washington Square Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, 1963, revised and updated edition in 1998).

2) Ibid., page 115.