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Heavenly Jerusalem shall descend to the earth and be the glorious
administrative centre of the earth, for we read that:
'The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and
the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it ... they
which are written in the Lamb's book of life' (Rev. 21:24 -27).
The period immediately following the Millennium is marked by five
outstanding features:
(1)
The rise of Gog and Magog like the sand of the sea, and their
destruction.
(2)
The casting of the Devil into the lake of fire.
(3)
The Great White Throne.
(4)
The New Heavens and the New Earth.
(5)
The descent of the New Jerusalem.
The Former of Two
The resurrection of the overcomers is said to be the 'first'. 'When
two ordinal numbers are used in such a connection as this, they are used
relatively ... hence in English we always say, in such cases, former and
latter' (Dr. E.W. Bullinger). The resurrection of the overcomers is the
former of two, the resurrection at the Great White Throne being the second or
concluding member of the pair. But whoever has heard this Scriptural
association even hinted at? We have been too ready to look at the Great
White Throne as the judgment of the wicked dead or of the untold millions who
never heard of Christ, and by so doing we have separated what God has joined
together. However, merely saying this proves nothing; 'to the law' and the
'testimony'. Here is the sequel to the statement of Revelation 20:4.
'Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection (i.e.
the former of two): on such the Second Death (i.e. connected with the
second resurrection of the two) hath no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand
years' (Rev. 20:6).
Whoever heard of any one comparing and contrasting the being 'Priests' of
God, with the character and fate of those who stand before the Great White
Throne? What congruity is there in saying:
'Either they will be overcomers, and reigning Priests' or they will be
'the countless millions of wicked dead, multitudes of whom never heard
the name of Christ'?
Yet John, writing Revelation 20:6, does not appear to have any qualms. If
the Great White Throne judgment deals with the mass of mankind, what need was
there to assure these overcomers that the second death had no power over
them? The second death as generally interpreted can have no power over any
saved sinner, let alone over an Overcomer. What this passage actually does
is to put in opposition:
The second death, and reigning with Christ.
The apostle writing to Timothy said:
'It is a faithful saying: For: