“The only thing we have to fear on our part is that we shall not keep our eyes continually fixed upon Jesus, that we shall not have an eye single to the glory of God, so that if we were called to lay down our armor and sleep in death we might not be ready to give an account of our trust. Forget not for a moment that you are Christ’s property, bought with an infinite price, and that you are to glorify Him in your spirit, and in your body, which are His. . . .

“Be of good comfort in the hope of the resurrection morning.”1

Although we are told, “they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:35, 36), we are also told:

“We shall know our friends even as the disciples knew Jesus. Though they may have been deformed, diseased, or disfigured in this mortal life, yet in their resurrected and glorified body their individual identity will be perfectly preserved, and we shall recognize, in the face radiant with the light shining from the face of Jesus, the lineaments of those we love”2

“The divine love emanating from Christ never destroys human love, but includes human love, refined and purified. By it human love is elevated and ennobled. Human love can never bear its precious fruit until it is united with the divine nature and trained to grow heavenward. Jesus wants to see happy marriages, happy firesides. The warmth of true friendship and the love that binds the hearts of husband and wife are a foretaste of heaven.”3

In the Bible, the climax of the prophetic picture representing the history of our world is described in these words: “The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).

Before long the true followers of Christ will hear the good news: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Many Bible students think that Christ will establish His kingdom on this earth at His coming and that the door of probation will still be open for unrepentant sinners to turn to God. Be not deceived. If you want to know what will actually happen at Christ’s coming, read: Matthew 25:6–13; Luke 13:23–25; 17:28–30; Mark 13:26, 27 (Matthew 13:41-43); Isaiah 66:15–18 (Matthew 25:31, 32, 34, 41); 2 Thessalonians 1:6–10; Matthew 7:22, 23; Malachi 4:1–3.

We should not be deceived by the wrong ideas concerning the events to take place during the millennium. Some believe that the earth will be inhabited and that the wicked will finally be given a second chance to be saved. But the Bible does not support that conclusion.

The prophet Jeremiah was shown the earth during this period, and he writes: “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end” (Jeremiah 4:23–27).

And the prophet Isaiah was shown a similar condition: “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. . . . The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. . . . The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly” (Isaiah 24:1, 3, 19).

The picture is quite clear: The earth will be utterly desolate and empty, and Satan who is confined to it will have a vacation for one thousand years, as there will be no one to be tempted or troubled. He will be able to contemplate the results of his rebellion against God.

We must repeat that there is no provision for the fanciful idea that seems so appealing to the carnal mind, that the wicked inhabitants of the world will have a second chance. When the living saints, together with the risen saints, are caught up to meet Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:17) on His way back to heaven, then the kingdom of grace is at an end. Those that have been willing to enter in are already saved, and those that have spurned Christ’s invitation are already dead, awaiting the general resurrection of the wicked to receive their reward in the lake of fire.

The kingdom of glory symbolized by the “stone” in Daniel 2:44 is inaugurated immediately before Christ’s coming (Revelation 11:15) and has the New Jerusalem for its capital city. John the revelator writes:

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Revelation 21:2–7).

Chapter 20 makes it quite plain that Satan will then be loosed for a season and that he will inspire the wicked to attack the New Jerusalem, “the camp of the saints,” with the idea of taking it by force. It is at this time that the wicked will be resurrected (Revelation 20:5) and allowed sufficient time to form organized nations, and then. . . .

“And [Satan] 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 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” (Revelation 20:8, 9).

The apostle Peter saw the result of the fire that will devour Satan and all those who belong to him.

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:11–13).

At long last there will be a world government, for it is said of Christ that He shall reign “from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:10). In that day, prophecy says, “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).

“And the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government 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 for ever” (Isaiah 9:6, 7).

This is the kingdom that Christians should have in mind when they pray the Lord’s prayer:

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:4, 10).

A universal kingdom? A world government? Yes, we will have one—but only in agreement with the plan of God.

Toward this happy consummation we should now be looking forward with new hope and expectation and “so much the more” as we “see the day approaching ” (Hebrews 10:25). Let us not delay our personal preparation for it, for the hour is late; there is so little time.

Why will the redeemed feel at home in the earth made new?

The genuine followers of Christ are those who submit to the influence of the Holy Spirit as He leads them to develop the principle of the kingdom of God in their hearts, in their minds, in their lips, in their homes, and in their association with their brethren and sisters who are also marching on the narrow way to life eternal. In this sense, while they are still in this world, they are already living in the holy atmosphere of the kingdom to be established worldwide (Revelation 11:15). This is what Jesus meant when He said to His disciples: “Behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

A life in harmony with the spiritual and moral principles of the kingdom—if we actually understand what Christ said (Luke 17:21)—is characterized by the love of God seen in all our actions.

“We walk in the light,” “we have fellowship with him,” . . . “we have fellowship one with another,” . . . and “verily is the love of God perfected” in us (1 John 1:6, 7; 2:5).

“Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

How will the world see our love manifest in deed and in truth? Read: Isaiah 58:7, 10; Matthew 5:44–46; 25:34–40; Romans 12:9, 10, 18–21; James 1:27.

“The happiness of heaven [among the redeemed on earth] will be found by conforming to the will of God, and if men [are to] become members of the royal family in heaven, it will be because heaven has begun with them on earth.”4

“Heaven is to begin on this earth.” How? “When the Lord’s people are filled with meekness and tenderness, they will realize that His banner over them is love, and His fruit will be sweet to their taste. They will make a heaven below in which to prepare for heaven above.”5

From the thoughts and experiences implied in the statement of Jesus in Luke 17:21, we have the answer to our question. The redeemed will feel at home in the new earth, because here and there, they can “breathe” the same blessed heavenly atmosphere.

We are talking of the redeemed, not about those who call themselves Christians but have no idea of what Christianity actually means. These will find the door closed. Matthew 7:22, 23; 25:8–12; Revelation 20:15; 21:27; 22:12–15.

Some readers of the Bible may be tempted to question the justice of God, as He will not give these people a second chance.

“Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord” (Isaiah 26:10).

If the wicked were taken to heaven with the multitude of saints (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17) at the coming of Christ, what would happen? Or, if they were not destroyed after their resurrection at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:5, 9; 21:8), but allowed to live, would they adjust themselves to the spiritual, moral, and social conditions completely restored in the new world?

No! Why should the history of the chance extended to Cain and his descendants be repeated? The wicked, through their presence, will not be allowed to mar the happiness of heaven or to spoil the pure atmosphere of the earth made new. Whether in heaven or on the new earth, they would regret more and more the fact that they cannot be in their previous sordid environment.

They would ask: Where can we buy cigarettes? Smoking is not allowed here; are they really that concerned about air pollution? Where can I have a drink? No bars, no casinos, no dance halls, no brothels, nothing to make us feel happy! What a calamity! Let’s get out of here. But how? How can we escape from this place of torment?

The second death. This will be the end of their frustration. Once again the whole universe will see that under the justice and mercy of God, if the unrepentant sinners were given a second chance, they would not be benefited by it. On the contrary, they would become worse.

“Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them. Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us” (Isaiah 26:11, 12).

“Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.” “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:13, 17).

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:17–19, 21, 22).

“Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her. . . . For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees” (Isaiah 66:10, 12).