Event 3 - The White Horse Return of Christ/1000 year reign
After an additional period of time, the Lord returns on a white horse with “armies of heaven” dressed in white linen (Revelation 19:11-15). In this "White Horse" return, the Lord overcomes the armies threatening Jerusalem by physically slaughtering the armies of nations that followed the antichrist (Rev. 19:17-21). He personally does this by the sword out of His mouth. The linen clothed army of Saints don’t seem to do much, except follow the Lord on horseback (Revelation 19:14).
The manner of the timing of this event can be seen when the Lord Himself clarified this appearance in Matthew 24. In vs. 15-30 the Lord says that His visible return happens some time after the Antichrist presumes the right to sit in the holy place in the Jewish temple. Following this are all the ensuing "tribulation" judgments will be enacted upon the Earth precipitated by this act of the Antichrist, known as the "abomination of desolation" (vs. 15). This is what is referred to when he says, “let the reader understand.“ Revelation 19:11-21 indicates that at His return Christ puts the False Prophet and the Antichrist into the lake of fire, then follows the millennial reign of Christ; however, the Devil is not cast into the Lake of Fire at this time, but is bound and sealed in the bottomless pit (This is possibly in the center of the earth where gravity is equalized, hence having no bottom.) for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).
Event 4 - Satan Loosed for a Season/ Satan's Armies Destroyed by fire
It is almost inconceivable how after nearly 1000 years of His Earthly Reign that the Lord will have Satan loosed again so as to deceive the nations (Revelation 20:3). The amazing thing to consider is that the Devil will be successful at doing this, amassing an army of nations against the Lord while He reigns in Jerusalem. This goes to prove that even the presence of the Lord, Himself, on Earth will not be enough to convert the sinner, that it still takes faith to be saved. This demonstrates the pure evil that dwells in the heart of man! Many have confused the Millennial Reign with the New Heavens and Earth; but the fact that sin still exists on the earth during the time of the Millennial reign of Christ is fully apparent by the release of Satan. The Devil's unimpeded presence emboldens the flesh of man into outward rebellion against Jesus in the flesh!
The manner of the final battle that follows the millennial reign and precedes the White Throne Judgment does not involve a "return of Christ," because Christ is ruling from Jerusalem, In addition, it does not involve an army, because it is fire falling from Heaven that subdues the armies of Satan at this "battle."
Revelation 20:7-10
7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And 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. 9And 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. 10And 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.
Indeed, it will be Christ who sits in Jerusalem at this final "battle." This is the final showdown between the Devil and Christ. The same Devil that tempted Him in the wilderness is this same Devil in his pride (Isaiah 14:13-15) that raises the world's armies against Christ on Earth this last time. The Devil is again destroyed; but not with Christ's words only as in the wilderness, but by everlasting banishment in the Lake of fire.
Event 5 - The "Second" Resurrection
The "second resurrection" refers to one of two classes of resurrection: those souls participating in the judgment seat of Christ before the 1000 year reign, and those who are born and are judged at the Great White Throne Judgment before the creation of the New Heavens and New Earth. The "First Resurrection" is described in the following passage:
Revelation 20:1-6
1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4And 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, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed 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.
The difference between the First Resurrection and the Second Resurrection has in their meaning two different manners of people and two manners of judgment. The First Resurrection will consist only of pre White Horse Return Christians, that is, only those who have died having faith in Christ before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, or The Second Coming of Christ. On the other hand, the Second Resurrection (which occurs at the end of the 1000 year reign) will include three categories of people:
1. All people that died in their sins and have remained in Hell since the beginning of creation, until the end of all creation where time is no more. From Genesis 1:1 to the Great White Throne of Revelation 20, those unbelievers will be judged unto damnation.
2. Those un believers and believers that remain alive through the 3
and 1/2 years of "great tribulation" (Matthew 24:15-22, Daniel
9:27).
3. All those believers and unbelievers who will have been born
During the millennial reign of Christ, and those believers and
unbelievers that will have died or been killed during the Millennial
Reign of Christ.
This "2nd Resurrection has power over the individual in that He or She must stand before the White throne to be Judged according to the law of Moses, or the law of life in Christ. Two categories of person will be divided: Those that for all eternity to go into everlasting life in the new Heavens and Earth, and those that go into everlasting destruction in the Lake of Fire which is the "second death."
In Contrast, the 1st Resurrection is judgment based upon one's faith in Christ, where the believer's eternal rewards and heritage will be chosen based upon the believer's works. Also this judgment takes place only after the full number of "tribulation martyrs" will be put to death by the Antichrist (Revelation 6:10-11), before the White Horse Return of Christ.
Event 6. The White Throne Judgment
The Great White Throne is when God puts all things right, before He creates the New Heavens and Earth (Revelation 21). God will have now resurrected all the people that have ever lived that were not part of the First Resurrection, both saved and unsaved. All people from the lowest to the highest, world leaders, angelic hosts and prophets, teachers, politicians and every spirit that has any choice to serve God or not; and they are judged as to what manner of soul they chose to be. Jesus said:
Matthew 12:30-32
30He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
As a farmer assigns the chaff to the incinerator, so also the profane ones are assigned eternal punishment. Then also as the farmer gathers his wheat into the silo, then God creates the New Heaven and new Earth to be populated by His people (Matthew 3:10-12).
The standard of judgment will be based in the relationship that each person has to God. If the relationship is based in the redemption of Christ, then the "Law of liberty in Christ..." (James 2:12) will purge them of sin and conduct them into eternal life. If the relationship to Christ is in enmity, then the ten commandments will condemn that soul to eternal death in the Lake of Fire.
This Lake of Fire will kindle upon the Devil and his angels in everlasting destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10), but it will include all that believe not in the Lord. It is the at the Great White Throne Judgment that shows the Lord judging Nations in accordance with how they treated Israel and Christians on the Earth during the church age and the period of tribulation (Matthew 25:31-46).
In the terminology of farming, this Great white Throne Judgment is the big threshing floor, that will separate the wheat from the chaff, and clear the way for the New heavens and earth. the Chaff will be disposed of in fire, but the wheat will be transplanted in the New Heavens and earth. This is why Paul the Apostle writes:
2 Corinthians 5:16-20
16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Paul is saying that those who are born again are a "new species" of person which now belongs to the New Heavens and Earth, which will be created. This explains why he says that we are "ambassadors," because we don not belong to this world, but a future world to come (John 18:36).
