Lesson 15
The Wonderful World to Come The 1,000 Year Reign of Christ
AMBASSADOR CHRISTIAN COLLEGE‐ Dr. Keith Slough
INTRODUCTION
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T IS TIME YOU SAW THE truth! It is time to put away fables and the traditions of men and believe only the Bible! Do you know what the New Testament actually teaches about the second coming of Christ? Did you know that the Bible teaches that when Christ returns He is coming for the express purpose of SETTING UP A KINGDOM on this Earth? While most of our readers have believed the myth that Christ is taking all the saints to Heaven (the third Heaven where God lives) to dwell for eternity, the Bible teaches just the opposite. Yes, this may shock you! You may not believe it! You may be angered by this. And you may be tempted to throw this lesson down without even reading it because it contradicts what you have always assumed the Bible taught. I challenge you to obey the scriptural command to "PROVE ALL THINGS"! Will you do that? Will you be open‐minded and honest with the Word of God? Will you be willing to admit that you have been wrong, that you have been listening to those who themselves were deceived and simply did not know the truth of the Scripture? We should not judge those who teach contrary to the Scriptures as we cannot know any person's heart. But we can compare their teachings with the Bible and are commanded to do so! (Isaiah 8:20). Remember, I have never asked anyone to believe me! Never! Rather we are told to prove all things by the Word of God. That is why you should open‐mindedly read this Bible lesson. I warn you in advance that it will contradict what most of you have assumed all your lives. The Bible does not say that Christ is taking us to Heaven. There is not a single scripture in the entirety of the Bible (King James Version) that teaches this doctrine. Rather, the Bible says the Kingdom of Heaven will be set up on this Earth! It is here that deserts will begin to bloom, the sick will be healed (there are no sick people in Heaven!) including the blind, deaf, and the lame being healed, and that the nature of "ravenous" beasts will be changed as well (Read the entire 35th chapter of Isaiah and Isaiah 33:24). It is here (not up in Heaven) that heathen nations will be forced to worship the King of kings at Jerusalem by keeping His Festivals such as the Feast of Tabernacles and the other annual Holy days of God (Zechariah 14:1, 4,9,16‐19). It is here on this earth that the resurrected saints will rule for 1,000 years (Revelation 5:10 and 20:4). When Christ returns He will set up the Kingdom of God which you can enter into now by being begotten of the Holy Spirit (spiritual conversion) so you can be ultimately and totally born into that kingdom at the resurrection. This is the “good news” of the Kingdom of God –that you can be forgiven of your sins and have everlasting life in God’s Kingdom! During this Kingdom Age all nations will worship Christ weekly from one Sabbath to another (Isaiah 66:23). They will be FORCED to give up their idolatry of false religion and accept the Religion of the Holy Bible. All nations will belong to God’s True Religion. This truly is a beautiful world to come. And you can have a part in it!
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The Wonderful World to Come Many people are unaware that Christ is returning to SET UP A KINGDOM on this Earth! Most professing Christians assume Christ will merely come as far as the clouds of Earth but will then take all the "good people" to Heaven to spend eternity. NOT SO! The Bible teaches just the opposite! Read here the Truth from your Bible about this Beautiful Wonderful World to Come!
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HRIST IS RETURNING! The devil will be bound up for 1,000 years and will not be able to influence the nations. There will be no more wars, no more famines and hungry starving people, and no more horrible plagues that kill thousands in the poorer nations. This is going to happen whether the world believes it or not! Christ will not ask permission from the United Nations or even from the United States! No one will vote Christ into office. Rather He is coming back in mighty power to subjugate the world to the Kingdom of God! World Peace at Last! UTOPIA (Heaven on Earth) will someday come to this Earth! But it won't come from the United Nations. It will come from the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ who is returning as He promised, in power and authority to take over the governments of the world! Jesus will rule the entire Earth for 1,000 years! This is the "world to come" Paul wrote about in the book of Hebrews. It is the world of peace and prosperity for all nations that the early church knew would exist when Christ returns. The disciples were so eager to see this wonderful world to come that they asked Christ after His resurrection, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power" (Acts 1:6‐7). Jesus did not deny that a literal kingdom would be set up. But it was not to be set up in their day. The Kingdom of God This new world will be brought about by the establishment of the Kingdom of God which Christ will establish at His return. Be sure to read in your own Bible the description of this
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Kingdom of God in Daniel 2:44 and 7:13‐14! The Kingdom of God is not the Millennium itself but is the government of God which will rule the entire world at this time. The Apostle Paul wrote that God had not given the angels ruler‐ship over "The World To Come whereof we speak" (Hebrews 2:5). Notice: The apostles preached about "The World to come"! How many today know this message? But what is that world? Is it Heaven? Or is it a whole new world or society on this Earth? Let's not offer an opinion or quote what we have always heard. Let's believe what the Bible teaches! In Revelation 19 we read that Jesus returns to rule this Earth as its King and Lord! Notice carefully, it does not say what most people believe ‐ that Jesus is returning merely to take His people "to Heaven." Rather He is coming here to reign ‐ to rule ‐ over the entire Earth! He will immediately resurrect those who have "died in Christ" ‐ the prophets and righteous saints – and will give them positions in His kingdom to rule with him! (Revelation 20:4). The Bible also teaches that Christ will change the mortal bodies of those who are still alive and "catch away" or "rapture" these living saints to meet Him in the clouds of heaven (the atmosphere) joining with the resurrected saints (1 Corinthians 15:51‐52 and 1 Thess. 4:13‐17). This occurs during the "Day of the Lord" when Christ returns to stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:1+4). After gathering all the resurrected saints from the dead with Him in the clouds of heaven (the sky, the "first heaven" ‐not the ''third Heaven" or Paradise where God lives, 2 Corinthians 12:2+4) and having "raptured" all the living saints from around the world to assemble with Him in the clouds, He will then bring these resurrected and immortal saints back with Him to Jerusalem! (Zechariah 14:5). In that Day, (the Day of the Lord) the Lord will be king over all the EARTH ‐ not Heaven! (verse 9). The 1, 000 Year Millennial Reign How long will He rule initially? Notice after Christ binds the devil, He will take the resurrected saints and give them positions of ruler‐ship as kings with Him, and they will sit on thrones! Jesus promises in Revelation 3:21, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne [the throne of David, Luke 1:31‐33] even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." How long will they rule and reign with Christ? Read it in your own King James Bible. Notice: "...and they lived and reigned with Christ A THOUSAND YEARS"! (Revelation 20:4). Some churches (such as the Seventh Day Adventists) teach that Christ will take all the saints to Heaven and will leave the devil here free to reign. But notice verses 1‐3. The Bible says just the opposite! Here we read that the devil will be BOUND the entire thousand years! Satan will not be free to roam the Earth during this
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thousand year period to deceive the nations during Christ's Kingdom on Earth! The saints will be ruling with Christ for this "Millennial" (or thousand year) period. In Heaven or On Earth?
But is the Millennium spent in Heaven, or on the Earth? Will you believe your own Bible? Notice Jesus' promise in Revelation 2:26. "And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; And he shall rule them with a rod of iron ... even as I received of My Father." Where are the nations? They are here on this Earth! The reasons God will make us kings to rule the nations are because they are heathen nations that do not know the true Religion and must be taught. They must be taught to obey God's Law. They must be educated in the Word of God and His way of life. (There would certainly be no need for us to be kings in Heaven when there are no heathen there over which to rule!). Notice that Daniel was inspired to write about this wonderful world to come when the Kingdom of God is set up. He explained that the saints of God would rule in the kingdom. "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom UNDER the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him"! (Daniel 7:27). Notice again that God’s Kingdom in which the saints will rule will be “UNDER” the whole heaven‐ not up “in” Heaven! These glorified, immortal saints will then rule with and under Jesus Christ. Not all nations will accept Christ at His coming. Some will rebel and even fight against Him (Zechariah 14:12). And these heathen nations will then be ruled over by the resurrected saints of God who will be kings over the Earth and will teach all nations to observe God's Festivals (Zechariah 14:16‐19) where they can be taught God's true Religion and way of life. Today the world's religions ‐ even the world of professing Christianity ‐has been taught that God's festivals and His Laws were all abolished. Yet we see from Zechariah 14 that God's festivals are even intended to be celebrated by Gentiles. They are for "all families" of the Earth ‐all nations (verses 17 +J9). So God is raising the saints from the dead and is changing those saints who are still alive at Jesus' coming to immortal, glorified beings, to be kings and to have their part in ruling the world with Christ, to force the nations on the Earth to obey God's Laws from which most of the world's religions have apostatized today! Notice again the proof that the Kingdom of God will be set up on the Earth and not in Heaven. Revelation 5:10 states: "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the EARTH"! These scriptures contradict what most of you have been taught your whole lives. But will you put away the traditions of men and believe only the Word of God?
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Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 describe the rebuilt Temple at Jerusalem that Christ will dwell in during the 1,000 year Millennium when Christ has set up the Kingdom of Heaven on this Earth. We read about the second coming of Christ in Ezekiel 36:23 when He will be sanctified before the nations "before their eyes" (see also Revelation 1:7 where we are told that every eye will see Him when He returns). Immediately after His return He will set about to regather the dispersed of Israel and Judah and regather them from all the countries around the world where they are now scattered. Some unlearned but sincere Christians (even some well known evangelists) have assumed that these prophecies about the "regathering of Israel" were fulfilled when a tiny handful of Jewish people (members of the tribe of Judah but none from the other non‐Jewish tribes) left various countries of Europe to move to Palestine just after World War Two in 1948. To this day the, majority of the tribe of Judah (the Jews) live in Europe and the United States and have not migrated to Palestine. Well known Jewish/Christian teacher Zola Levitt on his TV program said some years ago that the vast majority of the Jews still have not gone back to Palestine and therefore, he asserted, these prophecies about the regathering of Judah (the Jewish people) and the lost 10 tribes of Israel (non‐Jewish Israelites) have not yet been fulfilled! He was right! Notice when the Bible says this great regathering of ALL the tribes of Israel (and not just the tribe of Judah ‐ the Jewish tribe) will be regathered. Is it before the second coming of Christ? ‐or is it after He returns? Will you believe your own Bible? Ezekiel 36:23 shows that Christ returns to be sanctified in the eyes of the nations. The very next verse reads: "For I will take you from among the heathen [Hebrew: nations], and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land! (verse 24). At the time of this regathering, notice what happens immediately after 'hey have been brought back into the land of Israel ‐ the very next verse: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you [speaking here of spiritual conversion]: 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 ... I will also SAVE you from all your uncleanness’s"! (Ezekiel 25‐27a and 29a). This passage uses the same language used elsewhere in the Bible when God describes SPIRITUAL CONVERSION or salvation! The Conversion of Israel and Judah Notice that God will put HIS Spirit ‐the Holy Spirit ‐inside these regathered Israelites (from all 12 tribes ‐not just the tribe of Judah).
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Do they have the Holy Spirit today? No, they cannot have it because Acts 5:32 says that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Him. What specific commandment must we obey to receive the Holy Spirit? We must accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah ‐ something the Jews living today in Palestine have not done! (1 John 3:23 and Acts 2:38). One can only receive the Holy Spirit when he receives Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Therefore the Jews in Palestine today do not have the Holy Spirit! This prophecy has not been fulfilled! Once Christ has returned to this Earth to rule it for 1000 years, He will then immediately "resurrect" the whole house of Israel ‐ not just the one tribe of Jews called "the house of Judah." (See Ezekiel 37:11. Read this whole 37 chapter of Ezekiel which allegorically refers to the regathering of the ''whole'' house of Israel (both the lost 10 tribes of Israel as well as the Jewish people) as a "resurrection" of sorts. As a kingdom they are dead politically. But when Christ returns He will resurrect them even providing for them a Millennial Temple. The reader should not confuse the Millennial Temple built for Christ with the temple that Paul says will be in existence during the Tribulation period which the Antichrist will desecrate (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3‐4 and also Daniel 9:27). Notice that when this "Regathering of Israel and Judah" occurs that God will have already resurrected King David from the dead to rule over the tribes of Israel (Ezekiel 37:24). All Israel will then for the first time since the days of Solomon "dwell safely therein [in the land of Israel]; even they, and their children, and their children's children FOREVER; and my servant David shall be their prince forever"! (verse 25). The tiny handful of Jews that live there today are not dwelling there "safely" but rather are living in constant fear of their lives. Daily we hear of car bombings and other terrorist acts of the Arabs against the Jews. No, the prophecies about the regathering of Israel and Judah have not yet been fulfilled! Also, did you see how long Israel will dwell in Palestine ‐ the Promised Land? The Bible says they will dwell therein FOREVER! How does this agree with what you have learned all your life about Christ taking all of us to Heaven forever? No! He will NOT! The Bible teaches that Israel will receive God's Holy Spirit (and therefore be converted Christians), and will live in the Promised Land which is the land of Palestine on this literal Earth forever! ‐not up in Heaven. Christ promises to dwell with His people here "forever" (see Ezekiel 43:7+9). The righteous will inherit the Earth "and dwell therein forever"! (Psalm 37:11+29). While the reward of the saints is the kingdom OF Heaven (God's Kingdom that comes from Heaven) they will not live in that kingdom in Heaven. Where will they live? Read in your own Bible the words of Jesus who tells us what the meek will inherit in Matthew 5: 5! Russia Will Attack Israel! Prophecy students know that Russia is prophesied to attack Israel but many have wrongly
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assumed that this military invasion would occur during the "70th week of Daniel" ‐ the seven year period which includes the 42 month "Great Tribulation." No! The Russians will attack Israel after Christ has returned to regather Israel from all the nations where they have been long scattered. Notice Ezekiel 38:2‐12. We read that the northern powers (all Bible historians and scholars agree this refers to nations headed up by Russia) will descend upon Israel at the time called "the latter years" when the whole house of Israel in that day will dwell safely in the land (verse 8). That obviously would not be true during the Great Tribulation, the worst time of warfare in all of history! (Matthew 24:21). Israel will then be without any army or defenses whatsoever (verse 11 speaks of being without a ''wall'' anciently the wall being a city's chief defense). But today the Jews there, calling themselves "Israelis," have one of the world's best Air Forces in the world. This is obviously then referring to the beginning of the Millennium when all the nations are just beginning to turn their swords into plowshares! Russia will be allied with Persia (modern day Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya ‐nations in modern times that hate the Jews especially. Only one sixth of this Russian‐led army will survive. It will take seven months to bury the solders that will die from the divine retribution coming from the living Christ! (Ezekiel 39:12 and Zechariah 14:11‐15). As a result of this final cataclysmic war with Russia, Christ will then be sanctified in the sight of many nations and will pour out His Spirit upon the house of Israel when He has "gathered them" (Ezekiel 39:27‐29). The majority of the TV evangelists and even an amazing number of pastors and teachers have assumed that this "regathering" occurred in 1948. No! It did not! Why won't people simply believe the plain truth of Scripture? Such misunderstanding of the Biblical prophecies comes from careless reading of the Bible. Now you can see why Paul commands us to study to show ourselves approved to God so that someday we will not be ashamed due to false doctrine, once we have "rightly divided" the Word of Truth (II Timothy 2:15). Once Israel has been regathered into the land and Russia has attacked them and has been defeated by the reigning King of kings, Jesus Christ, what then? What Will the World To Come Be Like? At long last the prophecies can now be fulfilled concerning "the World to Come, whereof we speak" (Hebrews 2:5). The nations of the world will be forced to recognize Jerusalem as the world capitol. God will teach the world His way of life from Zion (the site of the Temple in Jerusalem) and the Law will "go forth" from there (Micah 4:1‐2). Christ will put down all weapons of mass destruction. Nations will be forced to turn their "swords" (military machinery) into plowshares. Young people will no longer attend military schools to learn to be soldiers so they can kill people from other nations (verse 3). Can you imagine living in such a world? The devil will be bound the whole thousand years! All nations will turn their "swords into plowshares" by turning their "tanks" into tractors. "War
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ships" (such as battle ships and aircraft carriers) will now carry food to feed hungry nations who still do not have enough food to feed their populations at the beginning of the Millennium. In Biblical prophecy, a "mountain" usually stands for a kingdom or government (Isaiah 2:2, Daniel 2:35 and Revelation 13:1 with Revelation 17:9‐11). Such understanding of this sym‐ bolism is well known. In the Scofield Reference Bible, original edition, on page 901 we read in the marginal reference under letter "f' that: "A mountain is one of the biblical symbols of a kingdom." Now notice that Isaiah 2:2‐4 refers to God's Kingdom as a "mountain" that will be established in the top of the mountains (other kingdoms and governments of the Earth ‐ See also Revelation 11:15). We are told that when the "mountain" of the Lord is established and rules the world from Jerusalem, that "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:3‐4). Imagine a world without war! Imagine a world with no need of a military, where there is no devil to fight who has deceived all nations in our day (Revelation 12:9) causing them to fight each other. Jesus will be called "The Prince of Peace" and "The Mighty GOD" (Isaiah 9:6). "Of the increase of His government [the Kingdom of God] and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Eternal of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:6‐9). Imagine! ‐a world where all nations live at peace! The hungry will be fed and taught how to obey God's Laws of agriculture so they can put an end to hunger and starvation. Since the Law of God will "go forth" from Zion then they will be taught to let their land rest every seventh year (Leviticus 25:1‐7). This allows the soil to rebuild so that healthy crops can be produced. They will learn to spend time in agricultural pursuits rather than warfare and no one will starve again! World Economy: PROSPEROUS What about the economy? Does God have a solution to the world's debt? Yes He does. Every 50 years all debts public and private will be canceled (Leviticus 25:8‐24). For years, Pat Robertson, CEO of the Christian Broadcasting Network and who has ostensibly a degree in economics as well as law, has talked about economic cycles. One is a 50 year cycle where recession usually hits. In the 1920s and early 1930s it was a full blown Depression. Robertson explains that if all nations obeyed the Law of God and canceled debts every 50 years as God commands, we could avoid these pitfalls. The whole world would be economically prosperous. These Laws will be universal once Christ has established His Kingdom in Jerusalem and puts down all manmade rules, subjugating all kingdoms to the Kingdom of God.
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Christ will rule and judge the world righteously as the King of the world! (Isaiah 11:1‐5). Understand. This Kingdom of God will be headquartered at Jerusalem, Israel but its influence and authority will be universal. All nations will submit to it. No nation will be allowed to have manmade governments such as Communism, Fascism, Nazism, Socialism, or even Democracy. All nations will be ruled over by those saints of God now made immortal by a resurrection from the dead in the Kingdom of God. This kingdom will not be a government of the people. But it will be a government ''for the people." All will benefit and be blessed by Christ's reign. This wonderful world to come will be ushered in by the reigning Jesus Christ who will then be KING of the world! Never again will nations be allowed to fight and war against each other! Never again will civilization be allowed to suffer decadence in art, literature, entertainment and music. Imagine a world of BEAUTIFUL music! ‐some of it perhaps composed by the resurrected King David! No more perverted lyrics glorifying adultery and fornication! No more of the so‐ called "music" today that is more "noise" than music. What about crime? Imagine a world where people are forced to obey the Ten Commandments including the ones against stealing and even coveting anything that belongs to one's neighbor! Think of a world where no locks on doors will be necessary. People will be taught to obey the Ten Commandments from the first grade on up. Public Education controlled by Jesus Christ, will now require the Bible to be taught in every grade. No person then will be considered to be truly educated who does not thoroughly know and understand the Holy Bible! What About Wild Animals? Even the nature of animals will be changed so that we can live peacefully! Notice this wonderful picture in Isaiah 11:6‐7 (which you should turn to right now and read in your own King James Bible) says that wolves and lambs can dwell together in peace without fear of one viciously killing the other. A leopard can sleep peacefully beside a kid of the goats and a lion can lie beside a calf (rather than voraciously eating it as it would do today). Verse 6 says that "a little child shall lead them"! Imagine a little child leading a huge lion by its mane! ‐with no need to fear that the beast would hurt the child! In this Wonderful World to Come, whereof we speak, fathers will not only buy puppies and kittens for their children. Parents will have greater options. When their children ask for a pet cat for their birthday, parents may be thinking of a traditional house cat, but the child may be thinking of a baby lion that can grow into full adulthood and be a household pet for years to come. Or perhaps a leopard, or even a Bengal Tiger!! What then will lions eat if they are no longer carnivorous? Notice the answer in verse 7. "The lion shall eat straw like the ox.” We read that a child can even play with an "asp" (a venomous snake!) and will receive no harm. Even snakes will no longer be a threat! Imagine
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what kind of a world the Bible is describing! ‐a world where even the nature of wild animals will be tamed! God says, "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Eternal, as the waters cover the sea"! (Isaiah 11:9). Notice again Christ will be ruling the EARTH for 1,000 years –not Heaven! Down here are where the problems are! Down here on this Earth is where Jesus is coming to correct these problems and to save us from destruction! If He does not come it is only a matter of time before a nuclear World War Three or some future war, annihilates all mankind from planet Earth! This is why Christ IS returning! It is not to take a select few to Heaven with Him. Rather He is coming back to SAVE the entire world's population from nuclear destruction and oblivion! Now is the time to repent of sins which are the transgressions of God's Law (I John 3:4) and accept JESUS as our personal Lord and Saviour so that we can have a part in this fabulous, UTOPIAN ERA of peace, harmony, prosperity and abundance for all nations. Jesus is coming to bring universal happiness and joy to the world! Is there anything in this ugly sinful world that could possibly compete with this beautiful, wonderful "world to come"? No. And the good news (the Gospel) is, you can have a part in it, by accepting Jesus now as your Lord. Will you be in that Kingdom?
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Will You Live in the Heavenly City? Will you live in the Heavenly City where the streets are paved with gold? Most people assume that they will "go to Heaven" and live for eternity. The truth is the Heavenly City (also called the New Jerusalem) is coming here! We are not going there! The Bible says that after the 1,000 year Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ on this Earth that this 1500 square mile city (the New Jerusalem) will come down to this Earth! (Revelation 21:2). After the 1,000 year Millennium, then God the Father Himself will come to this Earth and will bring the Heavenly City with Him. At that time (and not before) you will have the opportunity to walk the streets of gold! This Heavenly City (which people identify with the Third Heaven in Scripture, where God dwells – 2 Corinthians 12:2+4) is as beautiful as a lovely bride adorned for her husband. It is huge. It is called ''the tabernacle of God" and is the city God now lives in. But He isn't taking us there. Rather God is bringing it to the Earth. It will be with Him when He comes to this Earth after Jesus has ruled the world for 1,000 years! (I Corinthians 15:24-25). So yes, some day you and I do have the opportunity to live in the Third Heaven. But we are nowhere promised in the entire Bible that we will go there. Rather it is coming here! This means that you and I must wait a while before we will walk those streets of gold. We have 1,000 years of work to do to get this world straightened out and cleaned up before that day! This lesson reveals the real truth about the coming Kingdom of God, and the resultant wonderful world to come of which the apostles spoke in the first century. The Good News is you can be born into God's kingdom through Faith in Christ. And that is the only way you will be in the kingdom. If you have any questions or would like personal counsel please do not hesitate to contact us today.
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