At the end of the 1000 years, the wicked will be judged. We will study this subject out much more thoroughly when we look at the reward of the wicked. Right now, we want to concentrate on the righteous while the wicked are destroyed.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And 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.
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 20:7-9
As we will see, when we look at what happens to the wicked, Satan is let loose from his prison and he then goes out to deceive all those who were raised up at the end of the thousand years. And Satan convinces them to attack the beloved city of Jerusalem, where the righteous are located. But as they surround the city, fire comes down from God and devours them.
At this time, the righteous are in the New Jerusalem, the beloved city. Look at the following two Scripture concerning the New Jerusalem and the righteous:
1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:1-2 13. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."
14. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
15. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. Revelation 22:13-15
So, we see that the new Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven and it is only the righteous who have the right to enter the gates of the city. The only ones that are left outside are those who are wicked. As we saw earlier, the wicked surround the people of God and the city and then fire comes out of heaven to destroy them. All the righteous are safely inside the city.
For the 1000 years, we have seen that the righteous live and reign with Jesus. This must be a healing time for them because God waits for a 1000 years in order to judge the wicked. This is a long time. It must be for the righteous that God waits so long.
We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, that during the 1000 years, God puts the righteous at the very heart of the judgement: Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? . . . Know ye not that we shall judge angels? God actually gives the judgement of the wicked to the righteous!
And 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. Revelation 20:4.
So, it looks very likely that God gives the righteous the judgment of the wicked to help them heal. What better way to show the new sons and daughters of God about the righteousness of God, and that all things that He does is righteous? During this 1000 years, the righteous will judge the wicked, and they will live and reign with Jesus; They will be where God is! What better way to learn of God than to be with God personally?
Once the wicked are destroyed, God makes new heavens and a new earth and all weeping will be no more.
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. Isaiah 65:17-19
God has now put all the questions that the righteous might have had, out of their minds, because they have all been answered during the 1000 years. There is no longer any reason for any of the righteous to question God or to wonder why He does things the way that He does, because, God Himself has laid Himself open, showing what He has done so that the righteous can judge the wicked.
Now, the righteous see the wisdom in the complete destruction of the wicked at that time. After all, they took part in the judgement themselves! So, with their complete trust in God, having seen how God has conducted the whole proceedings, they are able to praise God for His victory and for the destruction of the wicked. And now, God will wipe away all tears from their eyes and the former things will not be remembered nor come to mind any longer. They are completely healed of the heartache they went through.
But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. Malachi 4:2.
After we look at the reward of the wicked, we will then look at the verses of the Bible that show us what the new world will be like after the wicked people are destroyed.
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