Verse 4) “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, nether had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Some of the saved people will rule and reign with Jesus during the Millennium and beyond. They will even be judging the unsaved. Many of these believers were beheaded by the anti-christ forces. Muslims practice this form of execution perhaps the anti-christ will be Muslim or pro Muslim. The Bible says the anti-christ will be “a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences.” Sharia Law?  “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” (Daniel 8: 23,24)

Verse 5,6) “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Verse 4 is taking about the first resurrection of saved people. If your only born once then you will die twice, but if you’re born twice you will only die once, and if you live until the Rapture you won’t even have to die once. So make sure you are Born Again by asking Jesus Christ to come into your heart. The first resurrection takes place at the Rapture. The second death takes place when the unsaved dead are resurrected for the Great White Throne Judgment. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” ( I Thessalonians 4:16,17) That’s why it says “blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection,” They are blessed because they are going to the Marriage Supper of The Lamb and on to the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth. This resurrection takes place fast, in the twinkling of the eye. The dead bodies of the saved will be resurrected out of their graves or wherever their remains are, and they will join with their spirit and get their new bodies and so will also them that are still alive when the rapture occurs. All this will happen super fast. Those saved who are alive and those which were dead shall meet each other in the air and go to meet with the Lord and all the saved family of God for the greatest party in history! “Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, In the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, (the seventh tribulation trumpet) and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15: 51,52).The unsaved dead will not be resurrected until after the 1,000 years are finished. However if someone in hell receives Jesus, they can be released from hell.The unsaved will be resurrected for the Great White Throne Judgment! Those that have not received Jesus will be judged according to their works, and if their names are not found written in the Book of Life they will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

Verse 7-9) “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breath 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.” When the 1,000 years are ended, the devil is released out of the bottomless pit, and he goes out and gathers a great army of people who have not received Jesus and submitted to his rule in their hearts. They attack Jesus and the saints camped at Jerusalem. We studied about Gog and Magog in Revelation Chapter 19 which is symbolic of the forces of evil, and was even the land area of Russia before the Rapture. (See our class on Ezekiel Chapter 38,39) This time God rains down fire from heaven and devours them.

Verse 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.” The devil is cast into the lake of fire where the beast (the anti-Christ) and the false prophet are waiting for him, and they are tormented constantly.

Verse 11) “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” At this time even the heavens and earth flee away at the power and the presence of God.

Verse 12) “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” This is the resurrection of the unsaved dead from hell who stand before God to answer for their works that they did on this earth. God keeps books and records of what everybody does with their life.The saved get their bad records wiped clean when they receive Jesus as their Saviour, and his sacrifice on the cross and his blood, as payment for their sins. The unsaved have to answer for their sins. The Book of Life is a book that has the record of every ones life.

Verse 13-15)” And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This verse is talking about the resurrection of the unsaved dead. There may be different levels of hell at present according to peoples works. At the great white throne judgment it says death, and hell are thrown into the lake of fire, could this mean that all the levels of hell are cast into the lake of fire and they are combined together, where the devil and the anti-christ and the false prophet are? Could it be that during the thousand years that people will have another chance to get out of hell? Yes ! The Bible says “The Mercy of the Lord endures forever”, as it says 26 times in Psalms Chapter 136. Jesus went to preach to the spirits in prison in hell. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; ” (I Peter 3:18,19). “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12: 40). Why did he do that if they could not have another chance? And everyone whose name was not found written in the book of life ( who had not received Jesus Christ in their hearts) will be cast into the lake of fire.

Say this prayer to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. I believe you died on the cross for my sins ,and rose from the dead. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me peace. Amen.