1. Introduction To Informal Presentations
2. A Biblical Model For Creation And Its Extension
3. A Demonstration Of Life And Its Purpose
4. How Were You Put Together?
5. Comparing God's Wisdom With The World's
6. Reigning With Jesus Now And Forever
7. Help Interpreting The Teachings Of Jesus
8. A New Heavens And A New Earth
9. The Climax Of The Ages

1. Here is how it appears to me:

1. First of all, it has not been an easy task and one that I would not like to repeat.
2. It has been very time consuming, delicate and tedious.
3. It has cost more than I expected.
4. Since I built the project I can readily see the imperfections that mar it.
5. I began to sense that God was revealing to me, through this undertaking, how He works in individual lives to mold and make them into the person that He wants them to be in order to fit them into His Kingdom organization. (Eph. 1:17-23; 1 Cor. 12:4-6)
6. He does this one step at a time as we adjust to the results of the last step. (Ps. 37:23-24)

1. But, we need to be aware that we can hinder and mar the image of Christ that He is molding us into. (Eph. 4:29-32)

7. Today these thoughts came to mind about the spiritual application of this model:

1. The veritable voltage supply represents the power and miraculous workings of our God and Father, as Jesus said in Jn. 5:17: "My Father has worked [even] until now, [He has never ceased working; He is still working] and I, too, must be at [divine] work."
2. The power line, the power distribution box, the switches and power outputs represent the ministries of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to each individual life.
3. As long as we stay plugged into this power distribution box, the life of God flows unto us to accomplish the work He desires to do in our lives.
4. This is all God’s doing because we are His workmanship; we can only agree to work with Him or hinder by grieving the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 2:8-10)
5. The pipeline represents our life with the power of God flowing through it.
6. The turntable demonstrates that God is well aware of every aspect of our life and sees us from every angle.
7. The lights beneath the platform demonstrate the grace and beauty that God adorns our life with when as we learn to live for Him. (1 Peter 3:3-4)
8. The flashing light represents the beaming forth of this message of what God has done for us as we reflect or present in this darkened world, Jesus Christ, the light of the world. (John 8:12; Matt. 5:14-16)
9. In February of 2016, I added a picture viewer that my daughter gave me to the exhibit and it required a new and bigger frame. The viewer makes me think of God’s books of remembrance that we read about in the Bible: "I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books" (Rev 20:12).

1. God keeps books, and there will be no chance for excuses regarding God’s judgements because we will be able to see clearly that even the motives behind our actions were recorded – another indication that God is very active in our lives.

2. In order to fully understand and appreciate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to begin at the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth and all living things.(Gen. Chapter 1) I say this because people need to understand what life is all about, why they need to be saved, what they need to be saved from, and where they are going when they die.

1. When God created Adam and Eve they were in possession of a fully satisfying relationship with God, and had work to do in the Garden of Eden: "And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it" (Gen. 2:15). God did not create us to be idle, but rather as a means of being productive along with Him, this in its self gives tremendous meaning and purpose to life.

1. Gen. 1:27-28.... So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

2. But God had warned them that they were not to eat the fruit of one tree in the garden, which He called the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die and their relationship with God be severed. (Gen. 2:16-17)

3. The Bible states and shows that Eve was tempted and deceived by Satan into believing that no harm would occur unto her by eating from the forbidden tree, but Adam knew the consequences and deliberately chose to go along with Eve rather than to obey God. (Gen. 3:1-6)

4. Adam had chosen to do what he wanted instead of what God wanted, and so they could no longer walk or work together – two cannot walk together unless they agree (Amos 3:3). One will want to do one thing, and the other will want to do something else; as a result it is impossible to accomplish anything. This is what disobedience to God does, it makes it impossible to work together with God in His Kingdom, and God is looking for those who will work with Him now and throughout eternity. (Rev. 22:1-5)

5. So, the Gospel or Good News about Jesus Christ is that He was born sinless because He had no human father, as a result He could offer His life as the sinless Son of God for a ransom and atonement, to purchase back unto the Father in a cleansed and forgiven condition, all who would choose to turn away from a life lived for themselves and agree to live for God now, and throughout eternity. (Matt. 1:18-23; Heb. 1:1-4)

6. When we make this choice God makes us a new person with a new life to live by, enabling us to live for God as He originally intended; but we must be careful and watchful to maintain a right relationship with God through Bible study, prayer and obedience lest we lose the power of God to accomplish our purpose and become disconnected and discouraged, as King Solomon did; causing him to exclaim "Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities, says the Preacher. Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities! All is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and vainglory). What profit does man have left from all his toil at which he toils under the sun? [Is life worth living?]" (Eccl 1:2-3).__ (2 Cor. 5:14-21; 1 Kings 11:1-14)__Also read the rest of the book of Ecclesiastes that King Solomon wrote in his disobedient and discouraged state.

7. God is in complete control of everything! As a means of recruiting individuals for His Kingdom, He has his servants presenting the Gospel of Christ and at the same time is allowing Satan to offer the things of this world as a substitute – this is what every individual has to choose between. When a person receives Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, then, the degree in which he seeks to know the Lord and His will for their life, will determine his position and the conditions he will live in throughout eternity! (Job 1:6-12; Rev. 19:1-9; 20:11-15; 22:12; 1 Cor. 3:10-15)

8. When God takes His people to heaven in the near future, the lost will remain here on earth under the full control of Satan, God will then begin to bring judgement upon the whole earth and its inhabitants; as a result some will surrender to Christ and become saved, the rest will be locked up for future judgement. (1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:1-12)

9. Then Jesus Christ will begin His rule over the entire earth for a thousand years. At the end of this thousand years Satan will be briefly released from his confinement and lead a rebellion against Christ, but Jesus will defeat him and cast him into the lake of fire which has been reserved for the devil, his angles and followers. (Rev. 20:1-10)

10. Then God will create a new heavens and a new earth, and we will rule and reign with Christ throughout eternity! (Rev. Chapters 21 and 22) (Rev. 22:5)
11. So this is how eternity in heaven for us will begin and it will be marvelous in every way, far beyond our ability to imagine. The living conditions, working conditions and benefits will be just as marvelous. We will live with God, and He will continue to provide for our every need!

EPHESIANS 2:10…. For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

1 CORINTHIANS 3:9-17…. For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God's garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God's building. [Isa 61:3.] According to the grace (the special endowment for my task) of God bestowed on me, like a skillful architect and master builder I laid [the] foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it. But let each [man] be careful how he builds upon it, for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed one).

¹²But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, the work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done. If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward. But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. [Job 23:10.]

¹⁶Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]? If anyone does hurt to God's temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are.

Eph. 1:17-23.... [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), and [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.

²²And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], [Ps. 8:6.] which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].

1 Cor. 12:4-6.... Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same. And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served]. And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all.

Ps. 37:23-24.... The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.

Eph. 4:29-32.... Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin). Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.

Matt. 5:13.... You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

1 Cor. 12:4-6.... Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same. And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served]. And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them all in all.

Eph. 2:8-10.... For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved ( delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

1 Peter 3:3-4.... Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] interweaving and knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes; but let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God.

John 8:12.... Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.

Matt. 5:14-16.... You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.

Gen. 2:16-17.... And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Gen. 3:1-6.... Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden? [Rev. 12:9-11.] And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, [2 Cor. 11:3.] for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity. And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate.

Here we see that Satan used the serpent to say unto Eve – "You shall not surely die!" But God had said that they would! Satan used this lie to deceive and trick Eve into taking from the forbidden tree and then giving some to Adam.

Rev. 22:1-5.... Then he showed me the river whose waters give life, sparkling like crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the broadway of the city; also, on either side of the river was the tree of life with its Twelve varieties of fruit, yielding each month its fresh crop; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing and the restoration of the nations. [Gen. 2:9.] There shall no longer exist there anything that is accursed (detestable, foul, offensive, impure, hateful, or horrible). But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall worship Him [pay divine honors to Him and do Him holy service]. [Zech. 14:21.] They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. [Ps. 17:15.] And there shall be no more night; they have no need for lamplight or sunlight, for the Lord God will illuminate them and be their light, and they shall reign [as kings] forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities).

Matt. 1:18-23.... Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit. And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly. But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God]. All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet, Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us.

When Joseph learned that the woman he was engaged to was pregnant, he was in the process of ending their engagement, when an angle from the Lord gave him the information above. Thus confirming our comment that Jesus did not have a human father. Hebrews gives us some additional interesting information concerning our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb. 1:1-4.... In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets, [but] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, [taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs.

2 Cor. 5:14-21.... For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] one died for all, then all died; and He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake. Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. [No] even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a man, yet now [we have such knowledge of Him that] we know Him no longer [in terms of the flesh]. Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ's personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

The emphasized portion in 2 Cor. 5 indicates that God intends that we should live for Him and not ourselves. But even though God had warned King Solomon about disregarding His instructions, when Solomon became old he allowed his wives lead him astray from God.

1 Kings 11:1-14.... But King Solomon [defiantly] loved many foreign women--the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittite. They were of the very nations of whom the Lord said to the Israelites, You shall not mingle with them, neither shall they mingle with you, for surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods. Yet Solomon clung to these in love. [Deut. 17:17.] He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart from God. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not perfect (complete and whole) with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abominable idol of the Ammonites! [1 Kings 9:6-9.] Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as David his father did. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abominable idol of Moab, on the hill opposite Jerusalem, and for Molech the abominable idol of the Ammonites. And he did so for all of his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord, the God of Israel, Who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, but he did not do what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, Because you are doing this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely rend the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant! However, in your days I will not do it, for David your father's sake. But I will rend it out of the hand of your son! However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but will give one tribe to your son for David My servant's sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. The Lord stirred up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of royal descent in Edom.

Job 1:6-12.... Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them. [Rev. 12:10.] And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it. And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns evil [because it is wrong]? Then Satan answered the Lord, Does Job [reverently] fear God for nothing? Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face. And the Lord said to Satan (the adversary and the accuser), Behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon the man himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

This is one of the most unusual occurrences found in the Bible; God discusses the character of Job with Satan. When God commends Job’s righteous living, Satan claims that it is only because God has built a hedge of protection around Job, and if that protection were removed, Job would curse God for doing it. So God allows Satan to test and try Job, but He places limitations on what Satan can do – thus proving that God remains in full control of our every circumstance, and if we understood the reasons that God sometimes allows unpleasant experiences it would make perfect sense.

Rev. 22:12.... Behold, I am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit.

1 Cor. 3:10-15.... According to the grace (the special endowment for my task) of God bestowed on me, like a skillful architect and master builder I laid [the] foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it. But let each [man] be careful how he builds upon it, for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed one). But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, the work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done. If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward. But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. [Job 23:10.]

The verses in the 19th and 20th chapters of Revelation show us the power of God to bring everything under His control, and nothing or noone is excluded!

Rev. 19:1-9.... After this I heard what sounded like a mighty shout of a great crowd in heaven, exclaiming, Hallelujah (praise the Lord)! Salvation and glory (splendor and majesty) and power (dominion and authority) [belong] to our God! Because His judgments (His condemnation and punishment, His sentences of doom) are true and sound and just and upright. He has judged (convicted, pronounced sentence, and doomed) the great and notorious harlot (idolatress) who corrupted and demoralized and poisoned the earth with her lewdness and adultery (idolatry). And He has avenged (visited on her the penalty for) the blood of His servants at her hand. [Deut. 32:43.] And again they shouted, Hallelujah (praise the Lord)! The smoke of her [burning] shall continue to ascend forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities). [Isa. 34:10.] Then the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] and the four living creatures fell prostrate and worshiped [paying divine honors to] God, Who sits on the throne, saying, Amen! Hallelujah (praise the Lord)! Then from the throne there came a voice, saying, Praise our God, all you servants of His, you who reverence Him, both small and great! [Ps. 115:13.] After that I heard what sounded like the shout of a vast throng, like the boom of many pounding waves, and like the roar of terrific and mighty peals of thunder, exclaiming, Hallelujah (praise the Lord)! For now the Lord our God the omnipotent (the All-Ruler) reigns! Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. [Ps. 118:24.] She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white--for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people). Then [the angel] said to me, Write this down: Blessed (happy, to be envied) are those who are summoned (invited, called) to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me [further], These are the true words (the genuine and exact declarations) of God.

Rev. 20:11-15.... Then I saw a great white throne and the one Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books. And the sea delivered up the dead who were in it, death and Hades ( the state of death or disembodied existence) surrendered the dead in them, and all were tried and their cases determined by what they had done [according to their motives, aims, and works]. Then death and Hades ( the state of death or disembodied existence) were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's [name] was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.

1 Cor. 15:51-58.... Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed). For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us, this nature that is capable of dying] must put on immortality (freedom from death). And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory. [Isa. 25:8.] O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? [Hos. 13:14.] Now sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power [upon the soul] through [the abuse of] the Law. But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose].

Here it is revealed how God is going to take His people to heaven before He begins to bring judgement upon the remaining population. In 2 Thess. chapter two God gives us something to watch for to indicate when this time may be approaching.

1 Thess. 4:13-18.... Now also we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about those who fall asleep [in death], that you may not grieve [for them] as the rest do who have no hope [beyond the grave]. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep [in death]. For this we declare to you by the Lord's [own] word, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede [into His presence] or have any advantage at all over those who have previously fallen asleep [in Him in death]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord! Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.

2 Thess. 2:1-12.... But relative to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and our gathering together to [meet] Him, we beg you, brethren, not to allow your minds to be quickly unsettled or disturbed or kept excited or alarmed, whether it be by some [pretended] revelation of [the] Spirit or by word or by letter [alleged to be] from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has [already] arrived and is here. Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition), [Dan. 7:25; 8:25; 1 Tim. 4:1.] Who opposes and exalts himself so proudly and insolently against and over all that is called God or that is worshiped, [even to his actually] taking his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God. [Ezek. 28:2; Dan. 11:36,37.] Do you not recollect that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining him [from being revealed at this time]; it is so that he may be manifested (revealed) in his own [appointed] time. For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world, [but it is] restrained only until he who restrains is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one (the antichrist) will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and bring him to an end by His appearing at His coming. [Isa. 11:4.] The coming [of the lawless one, the antichrist] is through the activity and working of Satan and will be attended by great power and with all sorts of [pretended] miracles and signs and delusive marvels--[all of them] lying wonders – and by unlimited seduction to evil and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing (going to perdition) because they did not welcome the Truth but refused to love it that they might be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a misleading influence, a working of error and a strong delusion to make them believe what is false, in order that all may be judged and condemned who did not believe in [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely on] the Truth, but [instead] took pleasure in unrighteousness.

Rev. 20:1-10.... Then I saw an angel descending from heaven; he was holding the key of the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and a great chain was in his hand. And he gripped and overpowered the dragon, that old serpent [of primeval times], who is the devil and Satan, and [securely] bound him for a thousand years. Then he hurled him into the Abyss (the bottomless pit) and closed it and sealed it above him, so that he should no longer lead astray and deceive and seduce the nations until the thousand years were at an end. After that he must be liberated for a short time. Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived again and ruled with Christ (the Messiah) a thousand years. [Dan. 7:9,22,27.] The remainder of the dead were not restored to life again until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed (happy, to be envied) and holy (spiritually whole, of unimpaired innocence and proved virtue) is the person who takes part (shares) in the first resurrection! Over them the second death exerts no power or authority, but they shall be ministers of God and of Christ (the Messiah), and they shall rule along with Him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his place of confinement, and he will go forth to deceive and seduce and lead astray the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth--Gog and Magog--to muster them for war; their number is like the sand of the sea. [Ezek. 38:2,9,15,22.] And they swarmed up over the broad plain of the earth and encircled the fortress (camp) of God's people (the saints) and the beloved city; but fire descended from heaven and consumed them. [2 Kings 1:10-12; Ezek. 38:2,22.] Then the devil who had led them astray [deceiving and seducing them] was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (through the ages of the ages).

At the end of the great tribulation when Satan’s forces are completely defeated, Satan is bound and locked up in the bottomless pit; then the Lord Jesus begins His thousand year reign over the entire earth.

At the end of that thousand year reign, Satan will be released from his pit of confinement, and will be able to recruit some of those who have been born during the previous thousand years, and lead them in rebellion against Christ, but he will again be defeated and this time cast into the lake of fire.

Rev. 22:5.... And there shall be no more night; they have no need for lamplight or sunlight, for the Lord God will illuminate them and be their light, and they shall reign [as kings] forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities).