I struggle a lot with my past being brought back to my attention, those things about who I was and what I did that I hate and am ashamed of, and that also were troublesome and hurtful to someone else. The only thing I love to think about is when I met Mike 47 years ago, and then met Jesus Christ, and the family that God has given us, our lives together past and present, and how blessed we all are in Christ Jesus. We aren’t perfect, and neither do we have all the things we’d like to have, but we are very BLESSED by God because of all He’s done for us and promises still.

This morning in prayer to my Father God, as once again I’m reminded of something I did that I hate, it came to me that the past is buried and all that matters is today and my future in Christ. Just like Jesus who came into this world to live, who then died, and was buried, and then resurrected to where He continues forever in GLORY – the old me died, all my sins (past/present/future) and faults are buried, and the new me filled with the Spirit of the Lord for a new heart and mind, lives on with God my Father. My past faults, and all the sins I’ll ever commit, were buried when my Savior Jesus Christ forgave me that day in February of 1975 when I repented of all my sins, and I asked Him to forgive me and come live in me.

The Apostle Paul said it well: “Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else (my past with its faults and worldly desires), counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him.” (Philippines 3:8) “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race of my faith, and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippines 3:13-14

Satan enjoys and also desperately needs to remind us of our past, those things we want to forget, because it’s what he can use, besides that old sin nature, to take us down with. He can only ruin our day and maybe our future by constantly tormenting us with what we want to forget that was to our shame and guilt. We can see all that happens to people that Satan is able to do this to: unforgiveness, self-hate, depression, hopelessness, addictions, criminal activity, insanity, etc.

My Savior, Jesus, stands at the right hand of the Father as my high priest and every time Satan comes to accuse me (and all of the Lord’s disciples) before our Father God, Jesus sprinkles His own blood over it as the reminder that all was forgiven when Jesus hung on the Cross sacrificing His own body and blood as the once and for all sacrifice for all sin. It’s free for anyone by faith and wholehearted repentance.

What makes Satan think he can get my Father God to turn His back on me? I believe it has to do with why Satan will NEVER be forgiven for what he did that got him kicked out of heaven FOREVER. Satan, and all his fallen angels/demons (1/3 that followed him out of heaven) are so DESPERATE to ruin our faith, hope and love for the Lord. their hatred is fierce! That’s all they do, and they never sleep!

Evil workers, enemies of the Cross, they all work continually to keep people from knowing who Jesus Christ is, and all He has planned for those who love and obey Him. This is all they do, day and night, coming at God’s children to tempt, torment and turn us from the truth and following the Lord who loves us with His everlasting love.

SO! Every time I’m reminded of something I did that I hate and that I’m ashamed of, or even something that someone else did to me that hurt me, I say, “It’s buried and forgotten by my God, therefore I move on in all the favor and future I have from God in Christ Jesus my Savior and Lord! There is no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus! I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” This is my power over Satan and his demons. This is the power over my own memory and day to day life on earth!

The truth will ALWAYS set me free! God be praised!

Why do people suffer more than they have to?  

Isaiah 27: 5,11,15 “This is a people without understanding. They refuse to come to Me and make peace with Me. They have made a lie their refuge and falsehood their hiding place. So, their Maker has no compassion on them, their Creator shows them no favor.”

Yet our Maker waits and is ready to show compassion and favor on anyone who will wholeheartedly come to His Son to make peace with God forever.

“’See, I have laid a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for your sure foundation; the one who relies on Him will never be stricken with panic. Your deception from lies and falsehoods that end in eternal death will be swept away and overcome; your covenant with death annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.’ The LORD will rouse Himself to do His work, His STRANGE work, and perform His task, His ALIEN task. Stop your mocking or your chains will become heavier; the LORD ALMIGHTY has decreed destruction against the whole land. ‘Listen and hear MY VOICE; pay attention to what I SAY! I instruct you and teach you the right way. I will not continue to plow, nor keep planting seed. For, what does the farmer plow and seed for?!’ [FRUIT that lasts!] All this comes from the LORD ALMIGHTY, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.” Isaiah 28:15-18,21-22,23-29

All you have to do is look out at what is happening all over the world since the world began, with the inhumane thinking and ways of rulers, and men and women and even children, and all the plagues and natural disasters – to see that our world is lost from God. Man can’t conjure up any way to stop natural disasters and plagues; it’s a deception.

True compassion comes from God, pity comes from men. Feeling sorry for ourselves and others - is not compassion. When God shows you His compassion it comes with power and deliverance. People don’t have the power they think they have, and neither have they the understanding of their own personal need to be forgiven by God and delivered from the power of sin and strongholds of the lying devil – until God makes it known to them by the Gospel of His Son and revelation of His Holy Spirit. Is it any wonder therefore, that the Holy Bible is rejected and Christians who openly testify of what Jesus has done for them are hated by the people trying to shame and silence them? The god of this world (Satan) is behind this, and yet people don’t get it. They have been deceived by the devil’s lies and falsehood as he rapidly works through people and governments.        

Peace comes from God when men are right with God. The world has no peace when every nation’s ruling body/party/pulpit/throne refuses to make peace with God and live God’s way. God will soon send His Son, the Prince of Peace, back into our world to establish His Kingdom of love and perfect peace “on earth - as it is in Heaven.” This will be the result of the Lord’s ‘physical’ presence on earth, ending all evil and rebellion towards God victoriously overcoming all ungodly kings, lords, presidents, rulers, counselors, experts, priests, teachers, prophets, any and all with their own influence and control over people – just as the Word of God says.     

As I keep watching the progressive destruction against America’s godly foundation by the ungodly in full power (White House and Congress) who are neither right nor wise in how they rule making decisions for us all, I see what is meant by God’s “strange work and alien task.” God is a TRUE father! A true father painfully disciplines his disobedient children. Pain and suffering produce repentance and humility. God is not afraid of His children like we see so many parents today who are afraid to quickly apply pain to their disobedient child’s ‘seat of learning.’ God knows just how much pain and suffering it takes with each of us. His will is not to see us suffer on earth, or forever in the place He prepared for the devil and fallen angels, but to see us right with Him to live with Him forever as our Father God. God loves people! But God hates sin and rebellion because sin and rebellion only result in unrest, division, chaos, terror, fear, hostility, destruction, desolation for the world.    

Our government is only spinning their wheels as they arrogantly and ignorantly come up with idiotic schemes and policies that they claim with promise - will do us all good. But God is doing His “strange work and alien task“ in order to wake us up and shake us up for His purpose of wanting to show His compassion and favor when people come to Him and Him alone by faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ, the “precious cornerstone” of God’s everlasting Kingdom.

Religion (denominations of rules and regulations for worship, that add and subtract from God’s Word) have never done any good on earth for this world.  Father God is after a personal relationship with Himself, through His Son, His Spirit and His Word. So, as earthly life gets worse and worse for us all, (as the LORD said it would) wisdom tells us to make sure we are at peace with God through Christ Jesus – the Savior of the world and the only hope of the nations.

“God is good” is a statement that is often said with conditions attached. God is good, if and when and according to my standard of good. But what about when life is harder than you ever thought possible. Is God good then? We can sing songs all day long that claim God is good, but those words are truly tested when going through real difficulty and pain.

Looking back over my life, I can confidently say that God is INDEED good at all times. In the pride of walking in my own strength as well as in my humble dependency upon His strength, in both He has proven to work in ways that leave me saying, “Wow, God, that really hurt and surprised me, but it allowed me to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and worship you more heartily. You are indeed my good God.”

It’s an unusual thing to see that pain or God’s convictions can cause me to say “I praise you, God, for you are good to me.” He is not only a good God because He replaces what was taken from me with something better, He is good even if I am left with no earthly possessions. He is not a good God because He keeps me from pain, He is a good God because He uses pain for my good.

God is good because in every day of my life He is working every detail out so that He is glorified in me and through me, and that results in what is definitely ‘good’ for me and for my future. It also causes my faith and trust in Him to become stronger, deeper and more concrete.

He is not only in my story – He is the main character and author of my story. He calls me to Himself. He saves me. He pursues me. He redeems me. He restores me. He completes what He began in me. He is so Sovereignly good!

I’ve been reading through Isaiah and about the Prophecy against ancient Babylon (ch. 13). The LORD speaks through His prophet Isaiah about the DAY of the LORD coming to punish the world for its evil rebellion against God, and the wicked for their sins. I tend to believe that as I have looked into what Babylon was because of its king and people, I can see the whole world as “Babylon.”

“Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by GOD like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will NEVER be inhabited or lived in through FALL generations.” (13:19-20)

I was intrigued by “NEVER” to be inhabited….”  So I went in search to find out more of the history.

First of all, I thought it was interesting that back in President Bush (Jr.) reign, Saddam Hussein was killed as he was working to rebuild the city of Babylon. Thus, fulfilling the prophecy that Babylon will NEVER BE inhabited again.

The last known record of Babylon’s inhabitants was in the 10th century AD, calling her the “small city of Babel.” “According to the Old Testament, humans tried to build a tower to reach the heavens. When God saw this, he destroyed the tower and scattered mankind across the Earth, making them speak many languages so they could not understand each other.” “It is widely considered that Shinar, where the Bible says the Babel event took place, was a territory in south Mesopotamia; and that Babel was located at Babylon.”

The Amorites were the first dynasty. “The city of Babylon started to grow rapidly under King Hammurabi. King Hummurabi built the first temple, a pyramid 300 feet tall in the first half of the 18th century. They worshipped many gods, and not the One True God. As they (falsely) believed, their gods were born on earth and experienced feelings like we do.

“Hammurabi’s code of more than 200 written rules and regulations covered issues of land, property, industry, agriculture, etc. The code was written on clay tablets and tall, stone pillars. The rules were specific and strict, and they acted as a guideline for most daily activities and situations. The code was based on the principle of ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ and laid the foundations for many of the world’s legal systems today. The laws were implemented by judges, or amelu, who were drawn from the upper-class strata of society.”

I wanted to know more about why Isaiah referred to Babylon as the “jewel of kingdoms.”

Babylonians were the 1st to do trade and commerce. They were the first in history to introduce the concept of the sales contract, and even went as far as to introduce a seal into the contract.”   Their kingdom was on both sides of the Euphrates River, which now is called Babylon Governorate of Iraq. The modern city of Hillah/Hilla is the capital city. King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace is built there.

Babylonians were the 1st to “incorporate precious gems and metals as jewelry.”

“Society needed more and more people to bolster the workforce, and having a large family was a matter of pride. More children also guaranteed better support during old age.”

“In ancient Babylon, education was for all, both men and women.” “The Babylonians contributed much to the world of literature. King Hammurabi was instrumental in building schools, and there is historical evidence that the Babylonians had libraries as well.”

“The Babylonians excelled in the fields of science and astronomy. Their priests studied the moon, the sun, the planets, and stars very carefully in order to predict the future. They used sundials and water clocks to tell the time, and just like the Sumerians, they adopted the lunar calendar which divided each month into 30 days and a year into 12 months. They were good at keeping records and diligently recorded past events in chronological order.”

“Under the rule of Hammurabi, Babylon became a major military power with trained soldiers in a strong and capable army. Hammurabi was an ambitious ruler and conquered all parts of Mesopotamia from the north to the south, ensuring that a military presence was established in all his new territories.”

“The Babylonians produced a variety of crops and had a vast knowledge of agricultural techniques. They grew pistachios in the royal gardens of Babylon, and elsewhere barley, peas, olives, grapes, wheat, etc. grew in abundance.”

“The Babylonians left their mark on the field of medicine as well. Their work effectively introduced the world to the concept of diagnosis, prescription, prognosis, and physical examination. It also included a list of medical symptoms, logical steps for diagnosis, and treatments such as bandages, pills, and therapy.”

“Babylonia reached its peak under the rule of the powerful King Hammurabi, but after his death, the kingdom began to decline. Unlike their father, Hammurabi’s sons were not strong or ambitious enough to continue to expand the empire. Soon, regular attacks from the Kassites led to the fall of ancient Babylonia in 1595 BC. In 612 BC, the emergence of the Neo-Babylonian Empire under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar II restored the glory of ancient Babylonia once again. A century later, in 539 BC, the Neo-Babylonian Empire was taken over by King Cyrus of Persia, leading to the eventual and complete fall of Babylon itself.”

Babylon: “the jewel of kingdoms.” Isn’t it a great shame and waste when a nation rejects the One True God; to NEVER be inhabited or lived in through ALL generations!  God gave and still gives man so much to enrich himself and community, to enjoy and share, but then man begins to worship it and take pride in it, even setting himself up in arrogance as his own god. The only things that God will bless and protect are those things done by our love and faith in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the one and only GOD to be worshipped and obeyed.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who LOVE him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

I love reading the Old Testaments prophets because you really get the whole truth of who God is and how God thinks and what God has done and will do to His people to bring them back to Him. Of course, the Old Testament prophets are speaking about Israel and to Israel mostly, but God is still the same God as He was then as to sin and rebellion. Christians think that because we, the Church of Jesus Christ, have ‘grace’ on our side that God somehow has lowered His standard and expectation on how we live with each other, treat our bodies, and serve Him.

We are not bound to the old rules and regulations of worshipping the Lord God. Colossians says, “Do not let anyone judge you BY what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are ALL a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ Jesus.” Col. 2:16-17

“The ministry Jesus has received is superior…. since the NEW covenant is established on better promises.” Hebrews 8:6

Christ, in Himself (flesh and blood, death and resurrection) fulfilled ALL the rules and regulations of the ‘first order’ which Israel was bound to in worship and serving God. It was ALL the shadow of the One to come: Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, Son of man, Beloved of God.  

Interesting that here we see His “shadow” coming to them - before there is the Person present. A shadow FOLLOWS a person. This tells me that all these Old Testament rules and regulations would NOT FOLLOW Jesus Christ WHEN HE APPEARED as the Savior of the world. Christ started a new order of worship and service, which is what the New Testament teaches.  

In this morning’s reading of Isaiah 10, we see how God uses the wicked against His people to ‘whip us into shape,’ you could say. He uses our enemies against us so that we will return to Him: repent of our wicked ways, get rid of our idols, commit to serving Him wholeheartedly with all His favor and blessings upon us. How can God bless that which we do that He hates, OR that which we ‘fail’ to do, that He would have us do as His people?

When our Lord God brings our enemies against us and completes His purpose for it, getting the results He wants in our lives, then He turns on our enemies! “I will punish them for the willful pride in their heart and the haughty look in their eyes. For He says: ‘By My strength and wisdom I have done this.” (Isaiah 10:12-13)

The Lord refers to our enemies in Isaiah 10 as the “ax, rod, saw, club in His hand” that He uses against us.  “Does the ax (our enemy) raise itself above the person (the Lord) who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!” (Isiah 10:15)

As I consider what has happened in and to America, and to Christians in America - I felt this passage in Isaiah hitting home. God putting in place a president of “open borders” with all kinds of enemies filing in: deadly drugs through drug cartels/sex traffickers/terrorists/diseases. Even our president is acting as an enemy to America with the shutting down industry of our natural resources, causing inflation, unfair raising of taxes, forcing electric cars on us before the infrastructure is ready, releasing criminals back on streets, lawlessness allowed/law officers unable to do their jobs, two-tiered justice system, friends with China as they inject our country with deadly poisons hidden in our drugs that we get from them, and Russia taking advantage of our weak and unsuspecting WH administration.  I don’t know about you, but it sure feels as if God is using evil to “whip us into shape!”

BUT THEN GOD SAYS, “My people, do not be afraid of these enemies…. Very soon My anger against you will end and My wrath will be directed to THEIR destruction. I will lash THEM with a WHIP…. their yoke and burden removed from you.” Isaiah 10:24-27 (in part)

Maybe with this next WH administration this will happen, I hope so. If not…. PREPARE! Be also encouraged because the Lord’s ‘humbled’ people have this promise from Him: “Since you have kept My Word and have NOT denied My Name…. and you have kept MY command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the ‘hour of trial’ that is going to come on the ‘whole world’ to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” Revelation 2:10-11

I believe these questions are crucial to know the answers to:  What is this “hour of trial? What are people on “trial” for? What does a “test” reveal? How can “your crown” be taken? What “crown” is the LORD JESUS CHRIST referring to? (I have my own answers based on study and comparing Scripture to Scripture.)

The Lord wraps up all His 7 letters to the Church with “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the SPIRIT of GOD says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22) The Holy Spirit is the One who guides us into all truth within God’s Word, Who tells us of the things to come, so we can be prepared to endure our time of tribulation, and Who lives in us to testify of Jesus Christ, and Who reminds us of all that Jesus has done and said that is written in God’s Holy Word.  (John 15:26 – 16:15)

As I look at all that is happening all over our world it truly feels like God is wrapping things up for His Son’s Return to reign as KING of kings and LORD of lords! (Revelation 19-22)   

The world says, "there's nothing like a mother's love." And while I understand the truth to that statement, I also find it interesting that God chose the description of a husband and wife in marriage to be viewed as immeasurable to all other loves. 

The love between a husband and wife is compared to the love Jesus has for His church. He calls the man to lay down his life for his wife, to love her, to be gentle with her, to pour into her, because that is what Jesus does for us. And He calls the woman to love her husband, honor him and respect his leadership, serve him willingly because that is how we are to respond to the Lord. This love is to be the primary focus, forsaking all else (people & worldy passions) to ensure the marriage relationship is kept strong. 

The love parents have for their children is great, indeed! I know this firsthand. But God chose the love between a husband and a wife, when in proper obedience to God's Word, as the greatest image of Jesus' love for His church. It's a glimpse of the greatness of His love. 

You can look at me and think I have no room to talk about marriage because I have been divorced. But God has a beautiful way of using even a divorce to teach us new things and redeem our stories. That is what I see with my husband now. This marriage is different from my last. I see things in this marriage differently. 

When we love one another as it says in Ephesians 5, I can truly say, "there's nothing like the love of my husband." When he sacrifices for me, I see Jesus' sacrifice for me. When he loves me as sweetly as he does, I see Jesus' love for me. When he gives of himself for me, I see Jesus laying down his life for me. 

We are human and don't do this perfectly, but Jesus did & will always do this perfectly. The mystery of a godly marriage is profound because it accentuates Christ and the Church.

Does God want people to know Him? I believe so!

All life and matter, a universe without boundaries, all reveals a Creator master mind behind it, that causes people to acknowledge that it couldn’t happen on its own, accidently or by evolution. Creation points to God.

The Scriptures (Torah and Bible) record how God revealed Himself personally to certain men in some way and with His own voice, starting with Adam and Eve in the beginning.  

If God didn’t want us to know Him personally, then why did men write down their experiences of God and what He required of them, and has protected the Scriptures throughout all time?

If God didn’t want us to know Him personally, then why did God send His Son to the earth, through the miracle of ‘virgin’ birth, to live among men and not only claim but to be the sacrifice for all the sinfulness of mankind? Why did Jesus appear to His disciples after His death and burial, confirming to His disciples His promise that they would join Him by the same resurrection from death to life with God forever?  

If God didn’t want us to know Him, then why has the Bible been the only book to stand time, even after many evil men literally tried to rid the earth of the Holy Bible?

There have been things written down about God in other books, but not in the way God’s Spirit wrote through men to form HIS WORD to us. Only by the HOLY Spirit’s “inspiration” was the HOLY Bible formed to be passed down generation to generation so that people can BEGIN to know God.

‘Head’ knowledge alone is not enough if you truly want to know God ‘personally.’ Jesus Christ, God’s Son is called “the mystery of God” in whom are hidden all the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge, having the full riches and complete understanding of God. (Colossians 2:2-4) God has made Himself known to us fully through His Son coming to the earth to live among men and then taking upon Himself all the sin of the world as the “once and for all sacrifice” so that we could live with our heavenly Father forever.

The Word of God in its entirety (Old and New Testaments) is for our beginning of knowing God, which can protect our mind from being deceived by all the teachings and arguments of people who reject the Word of God. But when we go the next step ‘by faith with humility’ as a sinner before the Cross of Jesus asking His forgiveness, we receive the grace we ask for.

Ask and receive!

When we take the next step with a committed heart-felt seeking to know God fully and what HE REQUIRES of us, God gifts us with His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Seek and find!

The Holy Spirit is the one who imparts God’s wisdom when we need it. What we read in the Bible, the Holy Spirit keeps it hidden in us and reminds us of what Jesus said, our hope of glory. The Holy Spirit guides us to the truth and leads us on the right path to walk with our Lord day by day. (The Lord and Spirit are one with the Father.)  The Holy Spirit prepares us for the things to come that are recorded in the Bible by God’s prophets and Son. The Holy Spirit brings into us to live and mature: God’s love, joy, peace, strength, wisdom, patience, long-suffering, perseverance, kindness, forgiveness for others, favor with God and men.  

Knock and the door shall be opened!  

This is how I believe we come to KNOW and LIVE with GOD.

I love reading (in the Holy Bible) what GOD says about His Son! When I consider all the evil and wickedness rapidly intensifying in this world - it is calming to know that there is TRUE HOPE! 

As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas time, I am so very thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ: His first coming with His life, death and resurrection, and His upcoming return, a.k.a "the DAY of the LORD." The Old Testament prophets spoke and pointed to both the "Lamb" and "Lion" of God Almighty. 

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE. Of the greatness of HIS government THERE WILL BE NO END. HE will reign on David's throne (earth's Jerusalem) and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUSNESS from that time on and FOREVER. The zeal of the LORD ALMIGHTY will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7

"Salvation belongs to our GOD, who sits on the throne, and to the LAMB." Revelation 7:10

"John (God's servant and cousin of Jesus) sees Jesus coming to him and says, 'Behold the Lamb of God, the One taking away the sin of the world'.....And John bore witness saying, 'I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon Him. And I did not know Him; but the One having sent me to baptize with water, He said to me, "Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, He is the One baptizing with the Holy Spirit." 'And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.'” John 1:29-34 (the Lamb)

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called FAITHFUL and TRUE. With justice HE judges and wages war. (The last war on earth.) His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His Name is the WORD OF GOD. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean (the holy people Rev. 19:8). Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations (that are against Him). 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of GOD ALMIGHTY. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 (The LION)

"Look, the LION of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:4

As you read on from Revelation 19 we learn all that the LORD does to end all evil and rebellion on the earth and in the heavens, starting with Satan (personified - false Messiah) who has begun to rule the world from Jerusalem on David's throne as the one whom the deceived world has been hoping for. But his reign is cut short (7 years) by the return of the SUPREME KING our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan and his false prophets and his beast, along with all people/organizations/systems/governments that were united against the LORD with Satan's "mark of the beast," worshipping its image (the false messiah), are permanently forever dealt with as described in Revelation 19 and 20. 

Ahhhh, and finally "the new heaven and earth!" (Revelation 21) "The old order of things has passed away....the ONE seated on the throne said, 'I AM making everything new!" "I AM the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End." "Those who are victorious will inherit all this: 'God's dwelling is now among the people, and HE will dwell with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain.'" "BUT the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice witchcraft/sorcery/magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Rev. 21:1-8)

The first death if our physical death, but the second death is for those who rejected the grace of God that had 'continually' (Titus 2:11) appeared to them with the gospel of His Son - for them to put their faith in. But for those who believed in the Savior of the world - were filled with Christ's Holy Spirit: "...to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." John 1:12

The "second death" is what we should be more afraid of! So afraid that we do not resist God's Spirit of grace with the gospel of Christ. 

"Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was physically seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followersd at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him. For I, Paul, am the least of all the apostles." 1 Corinthians 15:4-9

Jesus is the TRUTH, the WAY and the LIFE! He is the RESURRECTION, and the 'firstfruit' of it. He appeared to His disciples after His death to confirm what He promised them, and all of us who believe on His Name. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3

"I am the Good Shepherd, and I know [without any doubt those who are] My own and My own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship with Me]." John 10:14