Question about End Times....

[tribeofjudah]

I'm a SDA Christian.

I understand that FERVENT HEAT in the KJV is super hot and will burn all elements. Is this at the 1st or 2nd resurrection?

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

2Pe 3:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

When elements melt, there is nothing left. Not even birds in the air and dead bodies to eat.....

Here in Rev 19, the beast (Rome, papacy) and false prophet (USA) are thrown into the fire....bye bye for good. But the dragon (satan) is spared and is on lock-down for 1000 yrs.

Rev 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev 19:21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

So the Day of the Lord confuses me a bit. Is it a literal day or is it figurative? Do the elements burn at the 1st resurrection of the saved....or at the 2nd resurrection of the wicked after the 1000 yrs...?

Can you shed some light on a brother...?

[Kevin H]

Both: The super heat is the flames that are constantly around the throne of God, the flames of his power, magesty, glory and love. When Prophets first saw God they felt like they were being burned alive, but came to not mearly survive, to actually thrive in this fire. It is the fire that Moses could only see the back of when in the cleft of the mountain. When Jesus comes he is this fire. All of us will see him and ask "Who shall be able to stand?" And it is Jesus and God the Father being visible and in person at the end of the thousand years as well. It becomes heaven for the saved and as Isaiah 33 says the righteous will be able to live in the eternal fire and hell and death for those who are attracted to Jesus but refuses to yeild to his love and thus sepperates from the only source of life and they do not live in the fire but are destroyed by the fire. "The Glory of him that is love will destroy the wicked." Since it is the pressence of the same person both times it is both the same fire.

[Lysimachus]

There are two Lakes of Fires. The first one is "a lake of fire", and the second one is "the lake of fire".

The Beast and the False Prophet are alive at the Second Advent, and they are consumed by the fire (brightness) of His coming--this is the first destruction.

The earth is barren.

Then, in Revelation 20, the Beast and False Prophet are resurrected in the Second Resurrection, only to be thrown in the Lake of Fire again.

Satan now joins them.

Quote:

THOUGHTS ON THE GREAT BATTLE by James White

IN view of the civil war of the States, and the warlike attitude of other nations, the question is sometimes asked, "Is not the battle of that great day of God Almighty commencing?" We wish to offer a few thoughts upon the battle of that great day, which may lead to a more thorough investigation, and a better understanding of this subject. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.3}

We have probably entered but the threshhold of our own national difficulties. American soil may yet be drenched with human blood. Evil may go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind be raised up from the coasts of the earth, till all nations become imbrued in the horrors of war, yet in all this we do not see the battle of that great day of God Almighty. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.4}

The special preparations for that battle do not commence until the time of the pouring out of the sixth vial. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Rev.xvi,12-14. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.5}

The spirits of devils are now being manifested in what is called Spiritualism, which is filling the world with skepticism in reference to the sacred Scriptures; but the time for them to "go forth" to gather the kings of the earth and the whole world to the battle of that great day, is yet future. As to the place of gathering, we only wish to say at this time that we think there are good reasons to locate it where Christ makes his descent at his second coming. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.6}

Rev.xix,11-14. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called, The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.7}

The person described is the Son of God. The armies of heaven which followed him are the angels. An army of horsemen is here used to represent the majestic approach of Christ to this earth, accompanied by the host of heaven. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.8}

Verses 15,16. "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.9}

Compare with this, Chap.xvii,13,14. "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen and faithful." {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.10}

Here, then, the great battle is fought, and there is no proof that a gun is to be fired. The power by which Christ and his army overcome is represented by a sharp sword going out of the great Leader's mouth. This power is also spoken of in 2Thess.ii,8: "Whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." Again, Chap.i,7,8: "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." This last quotation does not say that the world will be on fire when Jesus is revealed from heaven; but it declares that Jesus and the mighty angels will be revealed in flaming fire, which fire, we understand represents the dreadful burning glory of an angry God which attends the army of heaven. Here is unquenchable fire. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.11}

Verses 17,18. "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." It will not do to carry this battle down to the close of the one thousand years of Chap.xx, unless it can first be proved that there will be horses there, which we think no one will attempt to do. This battle, then, is at the second advent of Christ. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.12}

Verses 19-21. "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.13}

Here it is seen that the great battle is not between nation and nation; but between earth and heaven. Satan wishes to make another attack on Jesus Christ. He musters the fallen spirits of his command, and they go forth to the kings of the earth, and the whole world, to gather them to battle. The King of kings overcomes, and destroys all his enemies. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.14}

The beast and false prophet are said to be cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. This cannot mean a second destruction; but the intensity of that burning power which is to consume the wicked, is here represented by a lake of fire burning with brimstone. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.15}

A thousand years later, and there is another display of the wrath of God, which accomplishes the second death. See Chap.xx. That also is represented by a lake of fire and brimstone. This is the same as the fire from God out of heaven, or the chapter teaches two second deaths. This we will now show. Verse 9. "And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." This, it will be admitted, is the second death. Verse 14. "And Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." As there cannot be two such deaths, it follows that the fire from God out of heaven, is the same as the lake of fire and brimstone. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.16}

Satan is to make two especial attacks on Jesus Christ. One at his second coming, which is called "the battle of that great day of God Almighty," the other at the end of the one thousand years. He is met each time by displays of the power of the great and dreadful God. Each manifestation of that power which is to destroy the wicked, is represented by a lake of fire. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.17}

So, if you please, there are two lakes of fire, one at each end of the one thousand years, instead of one lake, burning a thousand years, or as many say, to all eternity. Hence the text, "And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are" [were, Macknight], does not prove that the beast and false prophet [chap.xix,20] had been burning there a thousand years, but merely that the Devil suffers what the beast and false prophet did one thousand years before. Thank Heaven, sin and all sinners, whether they be fallen men or fallen angels, will come to an end, and God will have a clean universe. {January 21, 1862 JWe, ARSH 61.18}

[Lysimachus]

The Day of the Lord begins at the Second Advent, and terminates at the Third Advent---in a nutshell, the Day of the Lord is 1000 years long, and this goes right along 2 Peter 3:8, where one day to the Lord is as a thousand years and vice versa.

[12tribes]

The Day of the Lord begins at the Second Advent, and terminates at the Third Advent---in a nutshell, the Day of the Lord is 1000 years long, and this goes right along 2 Peter 3:8, where one day to the Lord is as a thousand years and vice versa.

[tribeofjudah]

The Day of the Lord begins at the Second Advent, and terminates at the Third Advent---in a nutshell, the Day of the Lord is 1000 years long, and this goes right along 2 Peter 3:8, where one day to the Lord is as a thousand years and vice versa.

I really like this. Never thought of it that way....WOW

I knew about the day is a 1000 years unto the Lord....makes perfect sense.

[tribeofjudah]

Lysimachus,

The earth is barren, all are dead.

When are the birds alive to eat the flesh of kings? That's facinating.... or is this just more symbolism in the bible...?

[skyblue888]

The Day of the Lord begins at the Second Advent, and terminates at the Third Advent---in a nutshell, the Day of the Lord is 1000 years long, and this goes right along 2 Peter 3:8, where one day to the Lord is as a thousand years and vice versa.

hmmmmm

The day of the Lord is the second coming.

2 Peter 3:8 is a figure of speech.

It does not say that that one day is equal to a thousand years but that to the Lord it is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

It is a figure of speech.

sky

[tribeofjudah]

There are 2 resurrections....read the Bible:

Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.

John 5: 28-29

Luke 14:14

Acts 24:15

John 5: 24

1 Thess 4:16

[BobRyan]

There is the destruction of all the wicked at the end of Rev 19 -- but in that chapter the birds of the air still live - and feast on the corpses of mankind.

But in Rev 20 there is the event 1000 years later where the entire earth is devoured by fire and after that - in Rev 21 a New heavens and New Earth is created.

The plagues of Rev 16 and the 2nd coming of Rev 19 mark the end of Christ's work as mediator and the start of his work as King and Lord - restoring the balance so that wickedness is seen to be condemned by God in fiery judgments and righteousness upheld.

in Christ,

Bob