Gog-Magog Battle = The Second Death ?

[8thdaypriest]

Revelation 20:7-10

NIV Revelation 20:7 "When the thousand years are over,

Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth-- Gog and Magog-- and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.

9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Rev 20:7 NIV)

I have several questions concerning this battle.

1. Is everyone here agreed that this will happen AFTER the 7th millennium?

2. Is this the same as the "second death" in the "lake of fire"? Cause I don't see that. It looks - just from reading the text - that John sees the "Great White Throne" judgment taking place AFTER this Gog-Magog Battle.

3. It looks as if only Satan and his angels will be thrown into the "lake of fire" just after Gog-Magog, but the dead human beings won't be thrown in until AFTER the Great White Throne judgment.

Satan and His angels seem to be the only ones to be tormented day and night for age of the age (whatever that means).

3. I don't read anywhere about a third resurrection, so all of the DEAD who are judged at the Great White Throne judgment will actually BE DEAD - NOT alive (not conscious).

The question is - if they ARE DEAD - then what is it, that is throne into the Lake of Fire?? Could it be the "memory" of them which God the Father has retained - which He COULD use to resurrect them??

So the question at the Great White Throne Judgment, is whether or not any of these people should ever be resurrected again. The answer will be NO.

4. If God the Father is doing the judging at this Great White Throne Judgment - He is the Ancient of Days, right? - then why open books? Why open the Book of Life again? God doesn't need to look at record books - people do.

5. The only other place in Scripture that gives us a description of the Gog-Magog Battle is Ezekiel 38 and 39. Starting in chapter 37, there's a resurrection of "dry bones" (Israel) which are then returned to the land (37:12). The LORD then makes an everlasting covenant with returned Israel, and promises that "My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore" 37:28) THEN Gog of Magog comes up to attack returned Israel.

The LORD then confuses the enemy so that they fight each other. (Eze 38:21). And the LORD rains "fire and brimstone" on the army of Gog. And it's not just the army, because the LORD sends fire on those who live in the coast lands." (They must be the supporters of Gog.)

THEN it gets really interesting AFTER the Battle. "Those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons." "They will make fires with them for seven years." (Ezek 39:9) They bury Gog and the remains of anyone killed by the "fire" at a special city called "Hamonah" in "the Vally of Hamon Gog. It will take 7 months to clean up all the bones.

NOW THAT is interesting!! That was never mentioned in SDA dialog about the Gog-Magog Battle.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this. I know some of your will want to quote Mrs. White. I understand, but I would rather hear what Scripture has to say.

Shalom

www.prophecyviewpoint.com

[Gibs]

Satan and all his are resurrected and they surround the camp of the redeemed, the Holy City and this is where it will now stay and the saints also. The earth is made new after the wicked are all burned up and we will have our home here from then on.

The great white throne judgment was in Heaven during our 1,000 yrs. stay there. Revelation is not all in order of how things happen.

The meting out of Judgment is always before the execution. All knees will bow to Him before the execution.

Isa 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

[JoeMo]

1. I agree that the battle takes place at the end of the 7th millennium (i.e., the beginning of the 8th millennium).

2. I think that Rev.20:14 makes it clear that the lake of fire = the second death.

3. I agree that Satan is thrown into the lake of fire before that great White Throne judgement.

Next 3. I agree that there is no 3rd resurrection. Where we MIGHT (I say might because I'm still thinking it through) digress is that the 2nd resurrection takes place before the great battle. I'm still waffling on that, since the chronology of Rev. 20 doesn't talk about a resurrection prior to the great battle. I am still open to the possibility that these people are the descendants of a few people that somehow survived the second coming. Waffling a bit, though - your proposal makes great sense.

4. Good questions; but I have no answer.

Rachel, I want to complement you on how you handle those who disagree with you on here. You set a great example for others by how you disagree without being disagreeable.

[8thdaypriest]

Thanks JoeMo.

Rev. 19:11 is where the narrative starts.

Christ is presented as arriving on a white horse.

The angels come with Him. (v. 14)

He strikes "the nations" with a sword, which comes out of His mouth.

He treads the wine press of the wrath of God (that would be the last plagues)

A whole LOT of people die.

The armies of the Beast try to fight against Christ.

The Beast (one assumes with his armies) is thrown into a lake of fire.

The false prophet is also thrown into a lake of fire.

Unless THIS "lake of fire" is different from the one at 20:10, and the one at 20:14-15, it is saying that the Beast (a religio-political one-world government) and the false prophet are thrown into THE lake of fire - at the Second Coming.

But I thought the Devil isn't thrown in until the Battle of God-Magog.

And those who are not in the Book of Life are not thrown in - at least until Gog-Magog, if you're SDA (or after if you believe like me).

So THIS "lake of fire" must be the earth, which is "burned up" according to I Peter 3:10.

The Devil is thrown into the "bottomless pit" - "abyss" - earth "without form and void" (It's all the same Hebrew wording) - for 1000 years.

20:4-6 John looks to see what happened to the good guys. They now sit on thrones with Christ. They have gone to THE SANCTUARY (Heaven itself) because they are to be consecrated as priests.

So - WE HAVE COVERED THE BAD GUYS AND THE GOOD GUYS - LOST AND REDEEMED - GOATS AND SHEEP - TARES AND WHEAT.

TARES were burned up - along with the earth.

Wheat was gathered into HIS barn.

But the "rest of the dead" weren't resurrected on that judgment day.

They won't "live again UNTIL the thousand years" are "finished."

WHEN they do "live again" they will constitute "nations in the four corners of earth"

NOW Satan will have people to deceive.

The fight for souls continues.

I personally believe that some will accept Christ, but most will not. Satan deceives the rebels into thinking that they can overthrow Christ. = Gog-Magog.

____________________________________________________

One of my problems with the SDA version of this is that the "second resurrection" in the SDA explanation, involves ONLY those ALREADY JUDGED as LOST. So WHY turn the Devil loose to deceive them again? How lost can you get??

And according to one quote from Great Controversy, many of these same people came up at the Second Coming. They SAW Christ in glory. They KNOW that He is LORD. How could Satan deceive THEM into thinking that they could overthrow Him??

It doesn't make sense.

And if they came up at the Second Coming, and were judged, and were "cut off" and were destroyed by fire (as the earth burns up),

then WHY wake them up - just to fry them AGAIN.

How executed can you be???

Just asking...

www.prophecyviewpoint.com

Shalom

[Kevin H]

First of all, I cannot agree that this has happened after the 7th millennium due to the three problems of translation issues, genealogies issues and that Ellen White article that Dr. Gerity sent us to the White Estate at Andrews Library to read where Mrs. White down plays the 6,000 time line and tells us that what ever date you pick for the age of the world just make sure that it is fair to the Bible. And the fact that when she was expanding her earlier writings into Petrarch and Prophets, as she instead of expanding on the 6,000 years and making a strong argument for it, she instead crossed it out, put her initials by the cross out and wrote the above article that I wish I had the reference for, but which I read and know exists. Knowing that the translation problems that we use to figure out the age of the earth can have a range of possible translations ranging from 6,000 years to 10,000 years. And the knowledge that ancient genealogies tend to skip over generations and not include everyone. Therefore the CONSERVATIVE Adventist Theological Society members, when they sign that the world is "'about' 6,000 years old'" sees that "about" to be as individuals holding a range from 7,000 years (the shortest you can get it from the LXX) to 21,000 years. And Seventh-day Adventist scholars who are more moderate, who are firm 7 day creationists are willing to put creation week back as long as 60,000 years ago.

The theory that corresponds one day of creation to 1,000 years is from Pharisaical tradition, formed by a Pharisee who lived about 100 years before Jesus, who added up the ages in his Bible (which was the Bible Jesus used) and came to the earth approaching 7,000 years old, with Jesus' ministry being in the time that he saw as the 7,000 year, and he had predicted that the Messiah was going to come in the 7,000 year. Many claimed to be the messiah applying the 7,000 year to them. Jesus did not apply the 7,000 year to him. But other Jews WHO REJECTED JESUS did not like it that the ages in the Bible had Jesus coming in the 7,000 year, so they looked to BABYLON for manuscripts of the Bible that had shorter dates so that they could push the 7,000 year out into the future and not have it correspond to Jesus as the Bible that was being used in Israel in Jesus day had it.

Also, the word "Thousand" has been a flexible term. It was not always a number. It use to mean a family unit or a military unit. These units tended to have approximately 10 people in it, give or take. It was not until one emperor had such a large army that his military units were 100 times as large as the typical military unit, that is when "Thousand" meant the large number. But even so, there was still flexibility to the word. It also became a term for teaching. A teacher could give a short "Stand on one leg" answer which meant very quickly, or a teacher could give a thousand years to answer a question, which simply meant that the teacher could take his time to explain it until every one of his students fully understood and mastered the subject.

When we go to heaven for the "Thousand Years" it means that we will have all the time necessary to have all our questions answered, and for Satan and the Demons to see what they have done. If 573 years go by and we have our questions answered, Jesus is not going to have us twiddle our thumbs for the next 427 years. On the other hand if it is a half hour before sunset on the last day of the 999th year, and we are still asking Jesus questions, Jesus is not going to look at his watch and say "Hey, we only have a half hour left, I can only take a question that I can answer quickly" The thousand years in Revelation is not in the context of a set time, but in the context that Jesus will not be in a rush but will give us all the time we need to clarify our questions.

There are two key texts, one from Psalms and one from Peter quoting the text in psalms on how a day to the Lord is like a thousand years. This is applied to make the 7 days of creation correspond to 1,000 years of history. The issue is that the context is not making a day to thousand year cycle. It's context is to help explain eternity and that God has always existed that ages are like nothing to him, and that he transcends time and space. In contrast to how those two texts are used, we have Leviticus 23 and also here and there in the book of Deuteronomy which tell us what cycles we are to use. A day is interchanged with two 6 months growing seasons and the Sabbath of Passover/Yom Kippur, the day-year, and in Leviticus (but not Deuteronomy) the Day-7 year interchangeability. I do not read the day-thousand year in these texts that give us the context for the day equivalent cycles. Nor do I find a text in the Bible that says that Leviticus and Deuteronomy was wrong and that we need to correct that mistake in the Bible by adding the day-thousand years to what God told us in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy.

[Kevin H]

I just typed a building thesis but my curser tends to move around and sometimes highlight, and it highlighted my entire post and it disappeared with the next key stroke.

Well instead of taking a thousand years to answer the question, I'll do a stand on one leg answer.

Deuteronomy 4 gives two possible histories of Israel(which is also filled out in other texts). One if Israel was faithful, blessed and nations come to them to learn about their God, join them and nations who reject come and attack and the world end in a great eschatological war. And one if they are unfaithful, God sends curses to encourage repentance, and if all else fails they were to go into exile, where they were to tell their neighbors about their unfaithfulness and God's faithfulness. If they did this the exile would have been THE LAST DAYS. The exile could have ended by a second great exodus lead by the Messiah. They would have gone back to the land, some time would have passed while the kingdom grew, the messiah killed and raised from the dead, and the Persian Kingdom dealt with Greece and would fall apart, and people would make choices about the Messiah which again would have lead to the world ending in a great eschatological war. (by the way, other texts point out that the lost were not to actually die by battle but by seeing the Messiah and being scared to death.)

Had Hezekiah shown the visitors from Babylon his true riches, his God, rather than his stuff, they could have brought that knowledge home with them and Hezekiah's reform could have quite literally spread through the whole world (interesting, according to the book, Lies my Teacher told me, there is evidence that Israel's neighbors the Phoenicians, who had an on and off again good relations with Israel and Judah, were making occasional voyages to what we now call the Americas. It was too long and small for major trade, but a couple of missionaries could have come over to the Native Americans) and this could have lead to the kingship of good king Joshua, the Messiah. Instead the Babylonians were thinking of Hezekiah's stuff and eventually entered it and instead of the empire of Christ we started the first of the 7 periods of someone ruling instead of Christ, or Antichrist.

Ezekiel was telling how the world could have ended back then had the Hebrews been faithful in exile to share the gospel.

The message of the Bible is not that Jesus is waiting 7,000 years, but that the Lord could have come err this!

[Gibs]

The gog and magog battle is the battle of Satan, gog, and all his anti Christian counterparts, magog. This is the battle of all the anti ones upon the Holy City, Jesus Christ and the saints within.

Then they will be consumed,

Re 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

The next verse at first look makes it look like burning goes on for ever but is not the case,

Re 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

They just will not be around forever and ever.

Eze 28:18 You have defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of you, it shall devour you, and I will bring you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold you.

The fire of Hell does not burn eternally, it is a consuming fire.

Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

It is a fire from God as in Eze 28:18 of God bringing to ashes Satan.

1Jo 4:4 ¶ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[8thdaypriest]

FOREVER AND EVER

For human beings, the “lake of fire” is “the second death.” Wicked human beings will be destroyed. But Satan, and his angels are spirit beings. They have never “died.” So the lake of fire would not be a “second death” - for them. Will the devil, with his angels be consigned to continuing conscious torment without end?

They are - after all - created beings. Satan is not omnipotent or all powerful. What do the words mean?

The Greek phrase translated as “forever and ever” (eis tous aionas ton anionon) literally means: “unto the ages of the ages.” It is an idiomatic phrase and is difficult to translate directly into English. It all depends on the context. When “age” is used in connection with physical human beings, then it can mean a human lifetime. If the human has been given “immortality” then that lifetime would be without end. It can mean a period of time, as in Matthew 13:39,40 & 49 (from creation, or from Christ to the Second Coming). When the subject is God or Jesus, it means eternity without end (Matt. 13:39). In the Old Testament, we have many examples where “forever” means only the life-time of an individual.

The meaning of the Hebrew ‘olam (translated “forever” - #05769) changes with the subject.

Here are a few verses where “ ‘olam” clearly does NOT

convey an unlimited past, or an unlimited future:

Genesis 6:4: “of old” - meaning of the far distant human past

Exodus 21:6: “for ever” - meaning for the rest of his life

Deuteronomy 32:7: “the days of old” - meaning distant human history past

Deuteronomy 33:15: “the everlasting hills”

Joshua 8:28: “forever” - meaning it has not changed since the day it was destroyed

1 Samuel 27:8: “from of old” - meaning distant human past

Proverbs 22:28: “the ancient” - speaking of a landmark set up in the distant past

Isaiah 42:14: “a long time” - meaning for a long period of time

So how can we understand “unto the ages of the ages?”

Quite simply - we cannot!

I understand that the “spirits” of rebellious unrepentant human beings will be instantly consumed in the lake of fire, and from that point they can never be resurrected to continue life. I understand that only God has immortality (I Tim. 6:16). He sustains life, and can therefore give life without end, to those whom He chooses.

I cannot believe that our Divine Father would sustain the life of any created being simply for torture. There would be no purpose to such. Perhaps the “ages” come to an end, when Satan is finally consumed. Beyond that is simply eternity.

www.prophecyviewpoint.com

Shalom

[8thdaypriest]

I want to say something about "time".

We have the Sanctuary model. The first apartment was 20 cubits by 10 cubits, and the second apartment was 10 by 10.

The space within the first apartment is double the space within the second apartment (Most Holy Place). The time encompassing the work prior to the cross - in the Heavenly Sanctuary - would be double the time encompassing the work from the cross to the end of this age.

The veil which separated the two was torn by the Father Himself, as Jesus died. So that veil represented Christ's flesh, and marks the crucifixion.

Those dimensions FIT the 4000 years from the sin of Adam to the cross, and the 2000 years from the cross to the end of this age.

Now I want to say something about "the 8th day."

We know that the entire Sanctuary system was a prophecy.

It is VERY interesting how so many things happened at THE 8TH DAY.

Firstborn males were to be given to the LORD on the 8th day.

(Exodus 22:30). God said,

“Israel is my son, my firstborn.” (Exodus 4:22)

Every faithful believer is an Israelite. We are collectively Israel - the firstborn (Heb. 12:23). Christ will present us to His Father - as a perfect offering - restored, cleansed and healed - ON THE 8TH DAY.

1 Corinthians 15:24 “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.”

When will we be acceptable for presentation to the LORD??

We are His flock. We are Israel. We are the firstborn (Eph. 2, Rom. 11).

Leviticus 22:27 A newborn animal [firstborn or not] was to remain with its mother for 7 days. On the 8th day, the animal would be acceptable as a sacrifice to the LORD (Exo. 22:30).

When will we newborn Israelites be perfectly circumcised??

Answer: At the 8th Day. (Leviticus 12:3, Acts 7:8, Genesis 17:12).

Ezekiel 36:24-27 “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. . . I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

THIS is the New Covenant promise of perfect circumcision of the heart for ALL of Israel.

When will we be perfectly healed??

Answer: At the 8th Day.

Leviticus Chapter 13: In the ancient Law of Israel, a seven day quarantine was required for infectious diseases, issues, and skin lesions. If the infection no longer remained after the quarantine, sacrifices could then be offered on the 8th day. The Israelite could then be considered “clean.”

When will we be declared "clean" of our leprosy?

Answer: At the 8th Day

Leviticus 14:10-32 The leper who was “healed of his leprosy” must present himself to the priest. The priest must go outside of the camp to see the leper (just as Christ left heaven for us). If the leprosy was no longer visibly present, then the leper must be ceremonially cleansed. The cleansing would take seven days.

On the eighth DAY of cleansing for the leper:

The now “clean” person was to present himself at the door of the tabernacle, “before the LORD.” He must bring two male lambs, and one ewe lamb of first year, with flour, and oil. The priest offers the sacrifices. The priest then anoints the right ear, right thumb, and right big toe of cleansed leper, with blood from the sacrifices (blood of Christ), and with the oil (Holy Spirit). Exactly as the anointing for the priests.

We are lepers, but will become priests - at the 8th day!

Consecrated as priests - at the 8th Day:

Exodus Chapter 29:7-35 & Leviticus Chapter 8:

Aaron and his sons and all future priests:

“Seven days you shall consecrate them.”

The priestly ministry begins at the 8th Day.

Rev. 20: everyone from the first resurrection will be "priests of God and of Christ."

THE ASHES OF THE RED HEIFER

Question: When will we be cleansed from death?

Answer: On the 8th day.

Numbers 19:11-20 Anyone who had touched a dead body, or any part of a body, or bone of a human, was “unclean” in the site of the LORD. He must be sprinkled with the “water of purification” which contained the ashes of the red heifer. He must be sprinkled on the third day and on the seventh day, by a “clean man.” At sundown of the 7th day he would then “be clean.” Sundown of the 7th day is the start of the 8th day.

We have ALL touched death. We become clean at the 8th day!

II Peter 3:8 "With the LORD one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

There is something of prophetic significance at the 8th Day. We have spent so much time focusing on the 7th day Sabbath (which I agree with by the way) that we have missed the significance of the 8th Day.

Shalom

www.prophecyviewpoint.com

[Gibs]

8DP

We too have a spirit same as Satan and his angels, God created them and us and their and our spirit came from him.

To both Satan and his angels and then us too, once the body, or apparition is consumed, Yahweh is well capable to take that spark of life, spirit back to himself.

The penalty for sin is eternal death and we would not have any hope if the merits and white robe of Jesus Christ was not imputed, credited to us.

The law of love requires their eternal death or it wouldn't be a law of love.

Isa 28:21 For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

Na 1:9 ¶ What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

There could be no peace or no utter end unless ALL the evil ones are completely gone never to roam and deceive no more.

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[Ted Oplinger]

Rachel, I want to complement you on how you handle those who disagree with you on here. You set a great example for others by how you disagree without being disagreeable.

We shall see, JoeMo. Her handling of my dissent on the old resurrected Second Death thread was less than stellar...

Blessings,

[Ted Oplinger]

Revelation 20:7-10

NIV Revelation 20:7 "When the thousand years are over,

Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth-- Gog and Magog-- and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.

9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Rev 20:7 NIV)

I have several questions concerning this battle.

[phkrause]

[Gibs]

Yahweh tells Satan,

Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Hebrew for "destroy."

'abad aw-bad'

a primitive root; properly, to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy):--break, destroy(- uction), + not escape, fail, lose, (cause to, make) perish, spend, X and surely, take, be undone, X utterly, be void of, have no way to flee.

Know for sure the Great Creator could undo any of His Creation, Satan and angels with him and men with them!

Their life, spirit will return to Him who gave it!

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jo 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

1Jo 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[8thdaypriest]

Ted said,

"Considering such an interpretation about the bones runs counter to what prophecy says happens to the wicked (reduced to ashes - Malachi 4:1-3)"

Well - The soft tissue and clothing would consume to ashes, but some bones would be left to collect.

Ezekiel 38-39 calls that battle "Gog and Magog". So does Revelation 20. How can I NOT put them together as talking about the SAME battle. God said that His word would not return to Him void, so it WILL be fulfilled. When was the battle of Ezekiel 38-39 fulfilled??? OR when will it be fulfilled???

[Windsor]

Will all the lost be resurrected? We all know those who haven't accepted Christ as their Saviour and may be in a sinful lifestyle but at the same time are not overtly evil and wouldn't hesitate to help you if you were hurt. I hate to think of them as having to go through all this and be burned up.

[8thdaypriest]

Windsor,

You might want to check out the thread "second resurrection=second death."

My belief is that those who have knowingly lived in rebellion against God will be resurrected at the Second Coming to face judgment and then physical destruction. They will die KNOWING that they will never "live again." The are "cut off" from the Israel of God. Their names have been "blotted out" of the Book of Life.

The trumpets followed by the last plagues will wipe out all life on earth. The 7th millennium will be a rest - in desolation. Only Satan and his angels will be left alive - bound to this earth for 1000 years.

The redeemed receive eternal life - at the Second Coming.

They go with Christ to Heaven itself, the true tabernacle - where they will prepare to serve as priests of God and of Christ. Priests cannot serve until the 8th day - their consecration will not be complete until then.

At the end of the 1000 years of the 7th millennium, Christ - with redeemed Israel, will return to this earth. They will rebuild and restore. They will build the Temple seen by Ezekiel. Then the river bring life will flow out from that Temple. Everything will be brought back to life - including billions of human beings who died without a knowledge of God or His Son. These are "the rest of the dead."

The "rest of the dead" are NOT the rebellious wicked of the first 6000 years. They were already dealt with (raised-judged-destroyed by fire) at the Second Coming.

The "rest of the dead" will now have an opportunity to learn "His ways". Most of them will rebel against the rule of Christ, and that will be the Gog-Magog battle. But a substantial number WILL come up to Jerusalem, to worship the LORD. They will learn "His ways" and will become part of the redeemed.

[My belief is that the 144,000 represent those redeemed by Christ at the Second Coming. They are Israel redeemed. The "great multitude" are those who come to Christ during the 8th day (8th millennium). The 144,000 are the "first fruits" of a great harvest to follow.]

I believe the "second death" will follow a last great judgment/review of the records. That final judgment will FOLLOW after the wicked from all the ages ARE DEAD. I do NOT believe the wicked dead will be resurrected again to face that judgment. I believe that they "stand before God" only in the sense of the record of their "works." God retains a "memory" of each person when they die. To Him they are still alive. I believe it is that "memory" of the wicked dead, which will be destroyed in the "lake of fire" making any further resurrection impossible.

There would be no point to resurrecting the wicked AGAIN for a final judgment. They will already have been destroyed once by fire (either at the Second Coming or at the Gog-Magog Battle. Why wake them up to burn them again?

That is the short version of what I believe. I realize that my belief does NOT agree with most of published EGW. But for me that is not a problem. I have not been SDA for 15 years.

There are separate studies on each point at my website: www.prophecyviewpoint.com

Blessings

[8thdaypriest]

Ted said,

"Considering such an interpretation about the bones runs counter to what prophecy says happens to the wicked (reduced to ashes - Malachi 4:1-3)"

Rachel answers:

Malachi 4:1-3 does say that redeemed Israel will trample upon the ashes of "all who do wickedly". If the "wicked" were burned up with the earth at the Second Coming, then the redeemed will indeed be treading upon the ashes of the wicked when they return to earth after the 7th millennium.

That does not preclude Isaiah 66:22-24 being a description of conditions AFTER the Gog-Magog battle, just as described by Ezekiel.

NKJ Isaiah 66:22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me," says the LORD, "So shall your descendants and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the LORD. 24 "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

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