The Millennial Kingdom

In this chapter, we should discuss the millennial Kingdom in more depth to distinguish this period from the present Kingdom of God. The next chapter is also in my book "A Revelation of the End Times: Why the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is Biblical."

There are different countries in the world. One country is preferable to live in than another. In one country, the government is considered a servant of the people; in another, the people are servants of the government. I am thankful to God that I live in the Netherlands, where I can practice my Christian faith. Nevertheless, every government has downsides that are ungodly and unholy, and it seems to worsen by the year. Because of this, we can ask ourselves, "Will there ever be a government that is one hundred percent good, incorruptible, and correct?" Many thought this was the antichrist during the great tribulation, but appearances proved false: the antichrist was worse than all the evil world leaders put together. After the antichrist and the great tribulation comes a good world kingdom that will not make one mistake. Even the animals will no longer attack each other. The King of this kingdom has been on earth before, and He showed that He loved people very much. He loved them so much that He died for them on the cross. This King didn't stay dead but rose again. Eventually, He will return and establish the Millennial kingdom. That King is the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this chapter, we will examine the main points of the millennial Kingdom. Many Bible texts from the Old and New Testaments refer to this time, and we will combine the texts to create a picture of the Lord Jesus' reign on earth and the effect it will have on the planet and its people. The Kingdom of Peace occurs after the great tribulation and is a literal Kingdom on earth. We notice from the many texts that the millennial Kingdom isn't a symbolic and spiritual representation that has occurred or is taking place today. Today's Kingdom of God and the millennial Kingdom have apparent differences.

Jesus reigns on earth

As we read, the Lord Jesus will reign on earth. A proper King will reign at last. Today, the Lord Jesus is exalted above all power and might (Colossians 2:10), and during the Kingdom of Peace, Jesus will be a physical King on earth and dwell with His people on earth. The Lord Jesus is associated with King David in the following texts. This is because God promised King David that his kingdom would endure forever and that a descendant of his would always sit on his throne (2 Samuel 7:16). The Lord Jesus is a descendant of David. Therefore, He may sit on David's throne and rule Israel and all the Gentile nations forever.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:31-33)

And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse (Jesus Christ), Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," says the Lord. Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. (Zechariah 2:10-11)

For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. (1 Corinthians 15:25)

Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. (Jeremiah 23:5)

(…) but they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them. (Jeremiah 30:9)

Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness and blessing in the last days. (Hosea 3:5 AMP)

Today, Jesus is King over His own Kingdom, God's Kingdom. Every born-again Christian is part of this Kingdom and has accepted Jesus as King over their lives. In the future, Jesus will become King of the earth and physically return to earth to sit on His throne.

His Followers Reign with Jesus on Earth

The Lord Jesus isn't the only One who rules during the millennial Kingdom. His followers may also reign with Him. I can hardly imagine being allowed to help the Lord Jesus during the Millennial Kingdom, yet the Bible contains many texts that speak of this. We have a great and gracious God! Jesus' followers are raised to life, enabling them to reign with Him. Paul wrote the following about the resurrection of Christians in the book of 1 Corinthians:

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:22-23)

When will those who are in Christ be resurrected from the dead? At the coming of Christ, or in other words, during the church's rapture! Those who have come to faith during the great tribulation become alive after the great tribulation. Together, we may reign with Jesus. The following texts speak of our kingship with Christ.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (1 Corinthians 6:2)

You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us--and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you. (1 Corinthians 4:8)

In the previous Bible text, Paul expressed criticism of the church at Corinth. They acted as if everything was accomplished and they had reached the highest point. Paul said ironically, "You have already become kings without us." Then Paul said, "If only you had become kings, we would be too." Paul did not say, "You cannot become kings at all." Paul said, "If only it were so, we would be too." This event takes place in the Millennial Kingdom.

If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. (2 Timothy 2:12)

But the saints of the Most High shall receive the Kingdom, and possess the Kingdom forever, even forever and ever. (Daniel 7:18)

Then the Kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the Kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him. (Daniel 7:27)

The twelve disciples of the Lord Jesus reign over the twelve tribes of Israel. This is their reward for following the Lord Jesus and proclaiming His Word to the people. Almost all of the disciples are martyrs, which means they were brutally killed because of their faith in Jesus. Yet they will live and lead the people of Israel during the Millennial Kingdom.

Then Peter answered and said to Him: See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have? So Jesus said to them: Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:27-28)

Today, in the Kingdom of God, we may rule over sin and reign over the powers of darkness. For God has given us authority. At the same time, most Christians aren't rulers of villages, cities, or countries. Jesus will provide us with a region where we may rule in the millennial Kingdom. Exactly what this will look like, I do not know, but I am already looking forward to this fact!

The Devil is Imprisoned for A Thousand Years

The devil constantly misleads and deceives people. The devil even tried to deceive the Lord Jesus in the desert but failed (Matthew 4:1-11). The devil wants to lure everyone into his trap and tries to destroy as many people as possible.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

During the millennial Kingdom, man, for the first time, has no trouble with the deception and lies of the devil, for the devil is imprisoned for a thousand years.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. (Revelation 20:1-3)

Finally, man finds peace, and the devil no longer deceives him. Does this mean that man will not do wrong things in the Millennial Kingdom?

The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame. (Zephaniah 3:5)

Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord. (Psalm 101:8)

No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. (Isaiah 65:20)

Unfortunately, people continue to sin during the Kingdom of Peace. Many are unwilling to obey God. Today, they say, "We have no knowledge of God, so it's not fair," but during the millennial Kingdom, it becomes clear that many people are unwilling to serve God even though He reveals Himself to everyone. God gives every person a choice, and everyone gets to choose whether they want to spend eternity with God or live secluded in Hades. Is this disobedience only about individuals or an entire nation? Unfortunately, this concerns many people and nations. We will discuss this briefly in a moment. Below is a Bible text that speaks of the punishment of an entire country:

And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:17-19)

Today, we live in God's Kingdom and have passed from the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God. This means that we no longer live in the power of the devil, but it is still possible for the devil to tempt us. Today, we must resist the devil, but in the Millennial Kingdom, the devil will be imprisoned and cannot accomplish anything.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

People Live on Earth

In the Millennial Kingdom, people live on earth. I don't refer to born-again Christians raised to life; I refer to ordinary people like the ones we see today. Only these ordinary people have more blessings than today, and no one will doubt that Jesus Christ exists since He dwells on the earth. Here is an overview of the circumstances of people on earth.

1. They will live the entire thousand years. The aging process is slowed, so a hundred-year-old is labeled a young man.

No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, (...) For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people (…). (Isaiah 65:20-22)

2. People will obey the Lord Jesus. The texts below illustrate that this only sometimes results in joy. Some approach Him in fear and will be frightened. Yet they listen and obey Him.

They shall lick the dust like a serpent; They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, And shall fear because of You. (Micah 7:17)

You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me. As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me. The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. (Psalm 18:43-45)

First, the previous Psalm spoke of David's kingship. This Psalm occurred historically. Simultaneously, the Bible often works prophetically, meaning that some Old Testament texts have taken place historically and will take place in the future (Hebrews 8:5). Many stories and prophecies were fulfilled by the first coming of the Lord Jesus, and this Psalm points to the second coming, during the Millennial Kingdom. The Gentile nations will obey the Lord Jesus even though they feign (pretend to be false) to submit to Him. In other words, they are pretending.

Say to God: How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. (Psalm 66:3)

3. People come to Jerusalem to receive instruction in God's Word and celebrate. Fortunately, people also live in the Kingdom of Peace who want to properly obey the Lord Jesus, learn things about Him, and see His glory.

Many people shall come and say: Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isaiah 60:1-3)

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9)

4. People shall refrain from arms and wars. There will be a thousand years of peace in the Millennial Kingdom. Today, we see many weapons, wars, and terrorism around us with a lot of pain and sorrow. How hopeful the words sound that there will be no more war and the nations will know no more weapons.

He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)

‘(…) And I will abolish the bow and the sword and [banish] war from the land. And will make them lie down in safety.’ (Hosea 2:18 AMP)

5. The idolatry in the land disappears. People no longer cry out for their idols (including Baal) but for the true God.

Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand. (Isaiah 27:9)

It shall come about in that day,” says the Lord, “That you will call Me Ishi (my husband) And will no longer call Me Baali.“For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, so that they will no longer be mentioned or remembered by their names. (Hosea 2:16-17 AMP)

The people of the earth will call on the true God, the God of Israel, and God will answer their cries.

It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24)

6. During the great tribulation, the people going to Jerusalem will be reminded of God's judgments. God works with feasts and memorials so that man does not forget what He has done. This also happens in the millennial Kingdom.

And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24)

7. In the Kingdom of Peace, sorrow remains. Even though people will live a thousand years and everything on the earth has been restored, sad things still happen. For example, think of the memories of the great tribulation and the terrible time the people of the tribulation experienced. God promises He will be the One who wipes the tears from all faces. I know there is no one who can comfort people better than God.

He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8)

8. But the wicked and those who don't believe in the Lord Jesus remain dead and fail to appear in the Millennial Kingdom. They wait for the great white throne after the Millennial Kingdom.

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)

After the Millennial Kingdom, they will arise to be judged according to their deeds (Revelation 20:12). It will be a dreadful punishment, and nobody will escape it. Only those who are written down in the Book of Life, the followers of Jesus, will escape the punishment.

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28-29)

Israel and Jerusalem are Restored

God chose Israel to become His nation, and in Israel's blessing, all other countries will be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). That blessing exists today but is especially evident in the Millennial Kingdom. It is utterly essential to bless the people of Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. During Jesus' first coming, He mourned over Jerusalem. He hated that Jerusalem would be destroyed (which has already happened in the past, Luke 19:41-44). Yet Jerusalem will be restored, and Jerusalem will become the world's capital. The following points are going to happen to Israel and Jerusalem:

1. Jerusalem will be rebuilt. Today, Jerusalem exists as a beautiful city that attracts many tourists. Jerusalem will shine even more during the Millennial Kingdom, and Isaiah compares it to Eden and the garden of the LORD. Jerusalem is nicely restored today, but it will be magnificent. The prophecies below have already been partially fulfilled, but the best is yet to come.

For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. (Isaiah 51:3)

For God will save Zion And build the cities of Judah, That they may dwell there and possess it. (Psalm 69:35)

The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:2)

2. The pain and shame will be taken away from Israel. For example, Israel’s shameful plight of rejecting the Messiah will taken away. God will take that shame away from them and will dwell with them in Israel. Israel will be a place of eternal glory and joy.

He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8)

(…) a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel. (Luke 2:32)

Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, So that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, A joy of many generations. (Isaiah 60:15)

3. Israel and Jerusalem will become the earth's center, and Jerusalem will serve as the world's capital.

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; (...) For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off. (...) So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever. (Micah 4:1-7)

The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, And their kings shall minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, But in My favor I have had mercy on you. Therefore your gates shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day or night, That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, And their kings in procession. For the nation and Kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined. (Isaiah 60:10-12)

4. The temple is being rebuilt. The Lord Jesus comes back to earth and lives with His people. This means that, humanly speaking, the Lord Jesus needs a home. In the Old Testament, God dwelt in the tabernacle and later in the temple. From the Day of Pentecost, God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, dwelt in man, labeling man as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). The temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt in the Kingdom of peace. During the great tribulation, there will be another temple in Jerusalem.

Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:12-13)

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore. (Ezekiel 37:26-28)

The Ark of the Covenant, on which God's glory rested in the Old Testament, will no longer be there. People don't even think about the ark because the Lord Jesus physically lives with them, and the ark is no longer needed.

Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days, says the Lord, that they will say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord. It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore. At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts. (Jeremiah 3:16-17)

Furthermore, the temple services and sacrifices that the prophet Ezekiel discusses will be resumed. To understand what the temple will look like and what will happen there, read through Chapters 40 through 48 of Ezekiel. On the one hand, it is strange that the sacrifices are resumed since the Lord Jesus has reconciled once and for all with His blood between man and God. On the other hand, God likes to work with memorial objects and feasts so that the temple, with its sacrificial services, can be a moment where people remember what the Lord Jesus did. Just as the Israelites used to do this to know that the Messiah would bring reconciliation one day, they would do this in the Millennial Kingdom by remembering that the Messiah has come to bring reconciliation.

Finally, there is a reference to a heavenly temple. This temple is presently in heaven, with an altar and a throne. When Moses made the Tabernacle, he did so because he saw an image of the heavenly temple/tabernacle. Without going further into this, this heavenly temple/tabernacle speaks of the Lord Jesus and is an image of the Lord Jesus. Likewise, the temple during the Millennial Kingdom will probably speak of the Lord Jesus and be an image of Him.

5. Israel lives forever in its land. Because of world peace, no one will attack Israel, and the Jews will live safely in their land.

Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified. (Isaiah 60:21)

The Earth is Restored

Today, we live in a fallen world. We recognize this through people doing terrible things. Consider, for example, all the wars, shootings, beatings, corruption, and deceit. Because of Adam and Eve's sin, not only humans but all of creation also fell. Animals attack other animals and humans; some animals are poisonous, so one bite causes physical discomfort or death. Creation is also restored during the Millennial Kingdom, and the animal world no longer attacks each other.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. (Isaiah 11:6-8)

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:25)

Beyond the animal world, God is solving our climate crisis. More recently, man has realized that he must take good care of the climate. As a result, energy sources are becoming more sustainable, and we see more and more solar panels and windmills. Awareness of the environment and being suitable to nature isn't bad, but man alone will fail to solve the climate crisis. Fortunately, God will solve it for us during the Millennial Kingdom as He restores the earth.

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. (Isaiah 35:1)

I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, The myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together, That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it. (Isaiah 41:18-20)

The End of the Millennial Kingdom

The texts above are lovely, and you would argue that things couldn't be more beautiful. Nevertheless, the millennial Kingdom is ending because God orders it. Don't panic! Something more beautiful will come in return! Only a few essential things happen before the new one comes.

1. The devil is imprisoned for a thousand years before the Millennial Kingdom. God decides that he will be released from his captivity shortly after the millennial Kingdom. The devil immediately does what he knows best: he starts deceiving people.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. (Revelation 20:7-8)

The devil will deceive many people. Their number will be like the sea sand, which shows a countless number of people. It hurts and saddens me that man is so quick to allow himself to be deceived. For a thousand years, they lived together with God, and yet they allowed themselves to be deceived by the devil to make war. Most people do not even know about war and weapons since there has been peace for a thousand years. Why does God unleash the devil when He knows this is the consequence? During the Millennial Kingdom, some people listened to God and the Lord Jesus; however, their conviction and submission were fake. They don't want to obey God. God wants to give everyone a choice: will you choose me? People living in the millennial Kingdom will also face this choice. Do we listen to God or the devil? Adam and Eve chose the devil at the very beginning of creation. You would think that man has learned something from history and life with God, but nothing could be further from the truth. Many choose the devil and go to war.

2. A final war is approaching, during which many people will fight against God, the Lord Jesus, and His saints. The people of the previous point are deceived and think they can defeat God. We are going to read what will happen. Will it be a tight race?

They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. (Revelation 20:9)

No! Fire from God falls on the earth and devours them. God is many times more powerful than men and the devil. God has won, and every man has made his own decision: live with or without God.

3. The devil gets his eternal punishment, and that is the lake of fire and brimstone. I don't know how to envision hell. The Bible mentions continuous torment—day and night and a fire that will never go out (Mark 9:43-44). It will not be a nice place to be in, let alone an eternal destination for the devil and his followers.

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

4. A final judgment is coming before the new heavens and new earth appear. The followers of Jesus aren't subject to this judgment. This judgment concerns only the dead, that is, those who have remained spiritually dead and do not believe in God and His Son. They receive a fair judgment from the Lord Jesus, and no one would earn acquittal by their deeds. Everyone who appears before this judgment will perish, and there will be no turning back. Before the judgment is passed, earth and heaven will flee away, and they will be no more.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

Every dead person is judged and tossed into the lake of fire. This is the same place into which the devil is cast with his henchmen and is an eternal abode. The only ones who escape this are those written down in the Book of Life. These are the followers of Jesus. Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, they will not be cast into the lake of fire but will participate in the new heaven and the new earth.

Summary

The Millennial Kingdom is a physical kingdom on Earth. During this Kingdom, the Lord Jesus reigns over the earth with His followers, and the devil is imprisoned and unable to deceive people anymore. The people in this Kingdom are more blessed than we are; for example, they become a thousand years old and live without war. In addition, nature and animals will be restored, and Israel and Jerusalem will become the earth's center. The Kingdom ends because God releases the devil, and the devil deceives the people. They engage in battle with God, and God destroys them with fire. While unbelievers are cast into hell, believers enter eternity with God.