Revelation 21:6: “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

Here Jesus is reminding us that He is eternal. Jesus had no beginning and He has no end; His existence stretches for all of eternity. Interestingly, Mormons don’t believe in this; they believe that God the Father had a beginning as an ordinary man, who was born to parents and then rose to Godhood by living a good life. That belief is a lie. God had no beginning and He has no end. He is not a man who earned His divinity; instead He is the uncreated God.

Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. Here we see that promise repeated: those who are thirsty need only come and drink. The problem is not that God has not made the offer; the problem is that many are unwilling to partake of it.

How He Became King: After his father Hezekiah died
When He Began Reigning: 12 years old
Reign Length: 55 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Evil, then good
Prophet: Habakkuk
Death: Uncertain
Burial: Buried in his own house

Manasseh became king when he was 12 years old, and he reigned over Judah for 55 years. At the beginning of his reign he was an extremely wicked ruler:

2 Kings 21:1: “Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.”

He served Baal and put pagan altars in the Temple:

2 Kings 21:3: “For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.”

As if that were not enough, Manasseh also offered his own sons as burnt offerings, and shed a great deal of innocent blood:

2 Kings 21:6: “And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
7 And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the Lord said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
8 Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.”

In fact, Manasseh was so wicked that he seduced Israel to be more evil than the Canaanites that had originally lived in the land:

2 Kings 21:9: “But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.”

Because of his great sins, God sent Assyria against him. The Assyrians bound him and carried him to Babylon:

2 Chronicles 33:11: “Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.”

At this point Manasseh’s life changed dramatically. While the king was in Babylon he humbled himself and prayed to God, and the Lord heard him:

2 Chronicles 33:12: “And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.”

When Manasseh returned he was a changed man. He took away the false gods, repaired the altar of the Lord, and commanded Judah to serve God:

2 Chronicles 33:15: “And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
16 And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.”

However, despite his repentance and his change of heart, God’s wrath had not been pacified. The Lord was still determined to scatter His people among the nations:

Jeremiah 15:1: “Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.
2 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.
3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.
4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.”

When the king died, he was buried in his own home:

2 Chronicles 33:20: “So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Amon then ruled in his stead.

Revelation 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

This is when everything changes and life becomes utterly perfect. The Millennial Kingdom will still have problems; there will be sin, sorrow, death, and pain. Satan will be set free to deceive the nations, and a great many people will believe his lies. It will be a much better world than the one we have now, but it will not be perfect.

However, the Millennium is not the end. After Judgment Day the Lord will create a new heaven and earth, and all of the former things will truly be done away with. Death will be gone, along with sin, the devil, and every evil thing. The world will finally be perfect and it will stay that way forever. That bears repeating: “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” That is a lot to look forward to and get excited about!

Of course, this is still quite a long way away. We haven’t even gotten to the Tribulation yet, and the New Earth isn’t created until more than 1000 years after the Tribulation. But even so, it is in our future and it is worth rejoicing over. This is our final destiny.

Revelation 21:2: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Notice that the city is coming out of Heaven! So where is this city going? John tells us in the very next verse:

Revelation 21:3: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

So there you go! This passage tells us that one day God is going to relocate: He will move His place of residence from Heaven to Earth. God and man are going to dwell together on Earth for all of eternity. That is where we will spend all of the ages of time – not in Heaven, but on Earth.

How He Became King: After his father Ahaz died
When He Began Reigning: 25 years old
Reign Length: 29 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Good
Prophet: Isaiah, Hosea, Micah
Death: Died after God extended his life for 15 years
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem

Hezekiah became king after his father Ahaz died. He began reigning when he was 25 years old and he reigned over Judah for 29 years. He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord:

2 Chronicles 29:1: “Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.”

He removed the high places, repaired the Temple, and restarted the sacrifices:

2 Chronicles 29:3: “He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.
4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street,
5 And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs.
7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel.”

Not only did he restore the Temple (after his father Ahaz had defiled it), but he also kept the Passover for the first time in generations:

2 Chronicles 30:1: “And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel.”

Some people refused to come, but many others came and celebrated the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread with great rejoicing:

2 Chronicles 30:21: “And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the Lord.
22 And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers.
23 And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days: and they kept other seven days with gladness.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.
25 And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced.
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.
27 Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.”

After this celebration there was a revival among the people. The people gathered together and destroyed the idols that were in the land of Judah:

2 Chronicles 31:1: “Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.”

Hezekiah also appointed priests and made sure they carried out their Temple duties:

2 Chronicles 31:2: “And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents of the Lord.
3 He appointed also the king’s portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord.”

The king also commanded the people to give their tithe to the Levites. They did so, and the Levites were greatly blessed:

2 Chronicles 31:4: “Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.
5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.
6 And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps.
. . .
10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.”

Hezekiah served the Lord with all his heart:

2 Chronicles 31:20: “And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God.
21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.”

The Lord blessed Hezekiah and was with him. Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria and defeated the Philistines:

2 Kings 18:7: “And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
8 He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.”

However, the king of Assyria sent an army to Judah and conquered the nation’s fenced cities. Instead of seeking the Lord, Hezekiah tried to bribe the Assyrian king and pay him to leave. When there was not enough money in the palace to pay the bribe, Hezekiah looted the Temple to raise the rest of the money:

2 Kings 18:14: “And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house.
16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.”

However, the bribe did not work. Instead of leaving, the king of Assyria sent his army against Jerusalem:

2 Kings 18:17: “And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.”

When the Assyrians taunted the Israelites and told them that their God could not deliver them, Hezekiah sought the Lord:

2 Kings 19:1: “And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
4 It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.”

The prophet Isaiah told the king that God would make them return to their own land. Rabshakeh did leave, but he sent messengers to threaten Israel. God then said that He would defend Jerusalem, and that night the angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 people:

2 Kings 19:35: “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.”

When Sennacherib returned home, his sons murdered him.

After this, Hezekiah fell sick, and Isaiah told him that he was going to die. When Hezekiah cried out to the Lord and begged God to spare him, the Lord agreed to give him fifteen more years of life:

2 Kings 20:4: “And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”

After he recovered, Babylon sent an envoy to the king because they heard that he had been sick. Hezekiah proudly showed off all of his wealth and power:

2 Kings 20:12: “At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.”

When Isaiah told Hezekiah that one day the Babylonians would come and carry away everything he had shown them, including Hezekiah’s own children, Hezekiah replied that he didn’t really care as long as things were good during his lifetime (2 Kings 20:14-19).

When Hezekiah died, he was buried with great honor in Jerusalem:

2 Chronicles 32:33: “And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Manasseh then reigned in his stead.

Revelation 21:1: “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.”

Here John starts getting into entirely new territory. In the Old Testament the prophets talked about the Millennial Kingdom, but they could not see any further into the future than that. In this chapter we are told what will happen after the Millennium is over and after Judgment Day has passed. The news is very exciting: God is going to destroy this Universe and create another one, and we are going to spend all of eternity living on this new Earth with God Himself.

What truly puzzles me is that no one talks about this. Most people have no idea that they are going to spend the ages of eternity on Earth, and not in Heaven. They haven’t the faintest idea what is coming. Modern Christians are appallingly ignorant when it comes to what the Bible actually has to say.

After Judgment Day the Lord will destroy the current heaven and earth and then make a new one. I’ve heard it said that this word “new” actually means “renew”, and that the Lord is going to tear apart this universe so that He can put it back together again like it was when He first created it. That is certainly a possibility.

It’s certainly something to look forward to! The time will come when we will spend an eternity living in a perfect world. Now there is a future that is worth getting excited about!

Revelation 20:11: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Here we have the final judgment. This is Judgment Day (also known as the Great White Throne Judgment). As you can see, it takes place after Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire. This means it does not occur until the Tribulation has taken place, the antichrist has been defeated, the Millennial Kingdom has happened, and Satan has been defeated after being released from his thousand-year imprisonment.

There are a few points I want to bring out. First, as we see in verse 12, the people who are judged at this time are “the dead”. The only people who will be dead at this point in history are the wicked and those who died during the Millennial Kingdom. The Church will not be included in this judgment because they were resurrected at the Rapture and therefore are not dead. The Tribulation saints will be not included in this judgment because they were resurrected at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom and therefore are not dead. In other words, this is not a general judgment of everyone.

Second, we see that Hell is emptied for this judgment (verse 13), and that after it is over the wicked are not cast back into Hell but instead are cast into the Lake of Fire. This means that no one will spend eternity in Hell. Instead they will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. That is the final destination of the wicked.

Finally, we need to remember that the lost are actually raised from the dead for this judgment. This means that when they are thrown into the Lake of Fire, they are thrown into it alive. The “second death” is being thrown into the Lake of Fire, from which there is no escape. There is no hope for those who end up there – they have nothing to look forward to but endless, unbearable torment.

How He Became King: After his father Jotham died
When He Began Reigning: 20 years old
Reign Length: 16 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Isaiah, Hosea, Micah
Death: Uncertain
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem, but not in the tomb of the kings

Ahaz became king over Judah after his father Jotham died. He began reigning when he was 20 years old and he reigned over Judah for 16 years. He was a very wicked ruler:

2 Kings 16:1: “In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.
2 Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his father.”

Not only did he serve false gods, but he was so wicked that he offered his own son as a human sacrifice:

2 Kings 16:3: “But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.”

Because of his many sins, God delivered him into the hands of his enemies. The Syrians joined forces with Pekah king of Israel, and when they attacked Judah they killed more than a hundred thousand men, along with the king’s son:

2 Chronicles 28:5: “Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.
7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.”

But that was not all. God also sent the Edomites and the Philistines against Ahaz. They invaded cities and carried away captives:

2 Chronicles 28:17: “For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.
18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there.
19 For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord.”

However, despite all of this, Ahaz refused to turn to the Lord. Instead he looted the Temple and used the money to hire the Assyrians to come to his aid:

2 Kings 16:7: “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
9 And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.”

When King Ahaz went to meet the Assyrians, he saw an altar to a pagan god and decided to make one for himself:

2 Kings 16:10: “And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.”

The reason he did it was because he thought the false gods of Damascus had helped them win victories, so he wanted to worship them so they would help him as well:

2 Chronicles 28:22: “And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz.
23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.”

The king had this new altar installed in the Temple, and commanded that sacrifices be offered on it instead of on the altar that God had designated. He also cut in pieces the vessels in the Temple and had the Temple doors closed:

2 Chronicles 28:24: “And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.”

Besides replacing God’s altar with a false altar and filling Jerusalem with pagan altars, the king took it upon himself to do the work of a priest and offer sacrifices. Urijah the high priest obeyed the king and did everything he asked; he did not oppose the king or try to stop him from desecrating the Temple.

When the king died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the tomb of the kings:

2 Chronicles 28:27: “And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Hezekiah then reigned in his stead.

Revelation 20:7: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 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.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Here we see Satan’s final act of deception. When the devil is released from the bottomless pit he will go out and deceive the nations, and will gather an immense army – “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea”. This depraved army will surround the city of Jerusalem, but God will send fire down from Heaven and destroy them all. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire, where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Thus the devil comes to his end. This being who lured so many people into eternal torment will be eternally tormented himself.

The subject of giving comes up a great deal in our churches. Whenever churches start having budget problems, their pastor preaches a sermon on tithing. Whenever churches wants to expand or renovate something, they ask their congregation to give them more money. Churches spend a lot of time and effort trying to get as much money out of their congregations as they possibly can. There are a lot of issues that churches tend to overlook, but tithing is not one of them.

Since I have already talked about tithing elsewhere, I’m not going to repeat that here. Instead I’d like to talk about something else: the subject of generosity. God has called Christians to be a compassionate and generous people. Now, whenever someone mentions generosity people immediately think about tithing. However, that’s not what I want to talk about today. I’m not talking about giving money to your local church. Although that is an important topic, since I’ve already discussed that elsewhere I’m not going to repeat it here. What I want to do instead is offer a different perspective on life. All too often we forget our calling and purpose. In the rush and pressures of daily life we forget who we are, why we are here, and what we are supposed to be doing. We get side-tracked and lose sight of what is truly important.

In II Corinthians 8 the apostle Paul tells us something amazing: that the desperately-poor Christians in Macedonia actually raised money to meet the needs of others. Even though these people had serious financial needs of their own, they cared so much about the needs of others that they gave despite their own affliction:

2 Corinthians 8:1: “Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.”

Even though this church was desperately poor, they still cared about the needs of others and they still gave. In fact, they were so insistent that they wouldn’t take no for an answer. They insisted on making this gift:

2 Corinthians 8:3: “For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.”

Why did they do this? Because of their abundance of joy and their deep love for their fellow Christians. They didn’t do it because they were expecting something back, or because they wanted to prove something to someone; they did it out of love.

Now, there are many televangelists who will tell you that if you give sacrificially then God will repay you. Men on television say “Just send me a check for $1000 and watch God multiply it tenfold! All of your financial worries will be solved if you just give me money.” Even pastors fall into this trap, telling their congregations that if they give money to God then God will give it back to them.

What these people are doing is telling you that you can get money from God if you just give money to Him first. In other words, they are urging you to bribe God so that He will bless you financially. If you want God to meet your needs then you have to pay Him first. Once you have paid off God, He will then act on your behalf.

That teaching is utter nonsense. The apostle Paul had very harsh words for one man who thought he could purchase gifts from God:

Acts 8:20: “But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.”

In this particular case the man was trying to buy a gift of the Spirit, but the principle is the same: you cannot bribe God. God is not a vending machine that will operate once you put coins into the slot. The truth is that God blesses you because He loves you. God watches over you because He loves you. God meets your needs because He cares about you. God doesn’t do this because He expects to get paid for it; He does it because He loves you. What kind of parent would only help their son if their son paid them first? What would you think of a parent like that?

And yet that is how people tell us to think about God! Yet, stop and think about it. When did Jesus die for us? Was it after we had paid Him enough money? Was it after we had done Him enough favors? No, it was while we were His enemies:

Romans 5:6: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

For some reason we get into this habit of thinking that we have to earn God’s blessings, but that is not the case. If you are giving money to God in order to get something back from Him then you have completely misunderstood who God is. That is entirely the wrong motive to be giving – and besides, God never promised to give you $5 back for every dollar you give to Him. If you think that giving money to God is some sort of guaranteed get-rich-quick scheme them you have badly lost your way.

Yes, it is true that God has promised Heavenly rewards to those who serve Him:

Matthew 19:21: “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

The subject of Heavenly treasure is a fascinating one, but since I’ve already discussed it elsewhere I won’t repeat that discussion here. The point I want to make is that, although Jesus has promised Heavenly rewards to those who serve Him, He never promised that when we give to Him in this life He would return the favor by sending us checks in the mail. He also never said that He would only provide for our needs if we first paid Him off. God simply doesn’t work that way.

God’s love for us is vast and deep; it is so strong that nothing can separate us from it. Paul was very clear about this:

Romans 8:35: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Notice that Paul does not say “If you want God to love you then you have to pay Him first.” He never says that God’s love for you depends on your financial contributions. The truth is that nothing can separate you from God – not death, or life, or angels, or anything.

Why were the Macedonians so willing to give out of their extreme property? It was because they understood what God had called them to do. They understood that they were the servants of God, and they wanted to be about the Father’s business. They knew that they were here to build the kingdom of God, and that was their priority.

Do you remember what Christ commanded us to do in the Sermon on the Mount?

Matthew 6:31: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

What did Jesus tell us to do? To seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That is our life mission. That should be the focus of our time, our efforts, and our energy.

Here is something to think about: can we honestly say that we are about our Father’s business? If we step back and take a look at our life, can we say that our lives are all about the kingdom of God? Is that really what we’re doing? I’m not asking how much you are giving; I’m challenging you to stop and take a look at your life. When you stand before God and are judged, will you be able to tell Him that your life was focused on building the kingdom of God?

The reason the Macedonians were able to give generously was because they really were about the Father’s business. Their heart was in the right place and they were a people of compassion. When they saw that there were other Christians who were in need, they moved to meet those needs – even though they had to pay a price to do so. They didn’t do this in order to get God to do them a favor, or to seem “spiritual”; they did it because they saw a need and they wanted to meet it. They did it out of love, and they were able to do it freely and without hesitation because they understood their purpose in life. They knew what they were here to do.

One of the things that Christ warned about was getting so entangled in the cares of this world that we become useless for God:

Mark 4:18: “And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”

Jesus is warning us that it is possible to become so entangled in “the lusts of other things” that we become unfruitful. We can become so distracted by our lives and our desires that we forget why we are here and what we are supposed to be doing. God hasn’t called us to get rich, live a fancy life, and fulfill all of our desires. He hasn’t called us to be like the world and follow them in their mad pursuit of fleshly pleasures. Instead He called us to die to ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him:

Mark 8:34: “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Jesus called us to die to our own will and to live to God’s will. He wants us to focus – not on what we want but on what God wants. That is what it means to deny ourselves. There are many things that we want in this life that have absolutely nothing to do with God. You can either spend your life serving yourself and doing what you want, or you can spend it serving God and doing what He wants, but you cannot do both. God has called you to die to your own will and to live to His.

This is the secret to generosity. If we are trying to amass as much wealth as we possibly can, then generosity is going to be painful. Since being generous is hampering our plans and making our lives more difficult, we tend to avoid it or view it with great displeasure. However, if our goal is to serve God and nurture the body of Christ, then being generous isn’t a problem because it aligns with our life purpose. In that case, being generous is easy.

The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that he wanted them to demonstrate the same generosity and compassion that the Macedonians had shown:

2 Corinthians 8:6: “Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.
7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.”

Why was Paul so insistent about this? Because he wanted the Corinthians to “prove the sincerity” of their love. It is very easy to tell someone “I love you”. Words are cheap and easy; they don’t cost us very much. Deeds, though, are a very different matter. It is one thing to tell someone that you love them; it is something else to reach into your pocket and meet their financial needs. It is all well and good to tell people that you love them, but until you put your love into action your love isn’t really very helpful. If you want to prove that your love is sincere then you need to act upon it. In other words, you need to put your money where your mouth is.

This is how James put it:

James 2:15: “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

This is something that we really need to take to heart. It is not enough to tell people “Go in peace; be warm and happy”. We need to meet their needs. We need to provide for others. We need to do more than just say that we care about people; we need to put our faith into action and provide for others. That is what the Macedonians did (even though they were very poor themselves!), and that is what Paul commanded the Corinthians to do. Love should not exist on its own; it ought to produce works. If it is not producing works then it is dead.

Let’s keep in mind the fact that God is not asking us to do something that He has not done Himself. Do you remember the tremendous sacrifice that God made on our behalf?

2 Corinthians 8:9: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

Jesus did not just say that He loved us; instead He showed it by laying aside His glory and coming to Earth to suffer and die for us. He became poor for our sakes so that we might be rich. He put His love into action and met our needs, and He calls us to do the same. Jesus gave up more than we can imagine in order to meet our desperate needs. What are we willing to give up in order to meet the desperate needs of those around us?

Now, it is true that some people have more to give than others. But God wants us to give what we have, not what we don’t have:

2 Corinthians 8:11: “Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
15 As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.”

If we give willingly (and not reluctantly, or grudgingly) then God will accept what we have. We may not have nearly as much to give as other people, but the same was true for the Macedonians. They didn’t give out of their great wealth; instead they gave out of their poverty. They could have said “Well, we don’t have very much so there’s no use in even bothering. Let someone else handle it.” – but they didn’t. Instead they willingly and lovingly gave to God what they did have.

Do you remember the story of the widow who gave two mites?

Luke 21:1: “And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”

The actual amount that the poor widow gave was negligible, and yet it impressed Christ far more than the large gifts that the rich gave. The reason for this is because the rich gave out of their wealth; they would never miss the money that they were giving. They were so wealthy that they could give large gifts to the Temple without hampering their lifestyle in any way. The poor widow, though, was a very different story: she literally gave everything that she had. Since she gave what she had to give, that pleased God. The Macedonians learned this lesson and took it to heart. They did not have much, but they gave what they have – and they could do that because they had their priorities straight. They understood what life was really all about.

Christ commands the body of Christ to care for one another. Since the Macedonians had something, they gave it to those who needed it. If one day the Macedonians were in dire need then other churches would provide for them. That was how the members of the body were to care for one another.

This does not mean that Christians are required to take a vow of poverty. Some people have this idea that God requires Christians to be poor, and that being poor is somehow more spiritual than being rich. This is not the case. What God commands us to do is not to be poor, but instead to be generous – and those are two very different things. The truth is that there are some people in the Bible who were very wealthy, and they had their wealth because God chose to give it to them. Solomon is a great example of this:

1 Kings 3:11: “And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.”

Solomon did not ask for great wealth, but God gave it to him anyway. Having wealth is not a sin. The problem arises when we lose sight of Christ and start thinking that we are here to build up kingdoms for ourselves. The question is not “How much money do you have?”, but rather “What are you going to do with what God has given to you?”

There are some people who go in a different direction and interpret this teaching as an endorsement of communism. However, that is a very great error. Under the communistic system people are not allowed to keep what they earn; instead the fruits of their labor are taken from them by force and given to someone else. Communism is a demonic system; it is nothing more than institutionalized theft. It is very important to God that people be allowed to reap what they sow, and that they enjoy the work of their hands. In fact, that is one of the blessings of the Millennium:

Isaiah 65:22: “They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.”

Communism is a direct attack on that verse. Under communism, one person plants and another person eats it. Under communism, one person builds and someone else inhabits it. A man’s work is taken from him by force and given to someone else. God sees that as a great evil, and He intends to stamp it out. In the Millennium people will keep what they have earned. Their wages will not be confiscated and given to others. Instead they will “long enjoy the work of their hands”.

There is a tremendous difference between giving to someone who is in need, and taking money by force to give it to someone else. That difference is very profound. Asking your neighbor for help is fine; breaking into his house and stealing his possessions is not. If someone asks you for money and you give it to them then that is fine; however, if someone mugs you and steals your wallet and takes your money then that is not fine. In both cases the person may end up with your money, but the way the person obtains it really matters to God. You do not have permission to steal from others in order to meet your own needs. God made this quite clear:

Proverbs 6:30: “Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.”

Notice that God commands that those who steal from others make restitution. He does not say “Well, as long as you need the money then it’s perfectly fine. Just make sure you steal from the rich who can afford it.” Stealing is always wrong, no matter how much you may need the money.

In conclusion, God wants us to care for one another and love one another. He commands us to give to one another willingly:

2 Corinthians 9:7: “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

How much should we give? “As he purposeth in his heart”. The main thing that God is concerned about is that we care work to meet one another’s needs – and that we do so cheerfully and willingly.

Revelation 20:5: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

As we have seen elsewhere, the Church is resurrected at the Rapture and the Tribulation saints are resurrected after the Second Coming. In this passage the resurrection of the Tribulation saints is referred to as the “first resurrection”. Only the righteous (including the Old Testament saints) are resurrected at this time; the unrighteous are not resurrected until just before the final judgment.

This means that there are a total of 3 resurrections in the Bible: there is the resurrection of the Church at the Rapture, the resurrection of the righteous dead at the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom, and the resurrection of the unrighteous (and those who died during the Millennium) before the final judgment.

The reason you are blessed if you are a part of this resurrection is because it means that your faith was real and your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. The ‘second death’ that the passage mentions is being thrown into the Lake of Fire, and that will not happen to any of these people. None of those who are resurrected at this time are in danger of judgment.

Do you see how verse 6 says that “they shall be priests of God”? Earlier in Revelation we saw John say that we have been made kings and priests. Here we see both sides fulfilled – we reign with Christ, and we are priests of God.

How He Became King: After his father Azariah died
When He Began Reigning: 25 years old
Reign Length: 16 years
Ruled Over: Judah
Type of King: Good
Prophet: Isaiah, Hosea, Micah
Death: Uncertain
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem

Jotham became king after his father Azariah died. He began reigning when he was 25 years old and he reigned over Judah for 16 years. He did that which was right:

2 Kings 15:32: “In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.
33 Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
34 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.”

The king learned from the mistakes of his father, and he did not sin against God by entering into the Temple to offer incense. However, even though Jotham served the Lord, the people did not follow his example. They continued to act corruptly:

2 Chronicles 27:2: “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the Lord. And the people did yet corruptly.”

Like his father, he continued to strengthen the country:

2 Chronicles 27:3: “He built the high gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.
4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.”

Jotham defeated the Ammonites and became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord:

2 Chronicles 27:5: “He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year, and the third.
6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.”

When he died, he was buried in Jerusalem:

2 Chronicles 27:9: “And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Ahaz then reigned in his stead.

Revelation 20:4: “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.”

Who are these people? As you can see, they are the martyrs of the Tribulation. (They are clearly martyrs because they were beheaded.) This verse says that after Jesus returns they will be raised from the dead and will live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. Earlier in Revelation the privilege of reigning with Christ was granted to the Church; here it is also extended to the Tribulation saints.

This is another serious blow to amillennialism, which claims that the millennium is simply another word for the Church Age. First of all, the people who are reigning during the Millennium are the Tribulation saints. Second, those people were killed and then brought back to life. Is the world currently being ruled by resurrected martyrs? I didn’t think so! So amillennialism is simply not possible.

Notice how specifically the passage defines a Tribulation saint: it is someone who never worshiped the beast, who never worshiped his image, and who never received the Mark. Ever. Once you do any of those things you are lost forever; those sins cannot be forgiven. You cannot take the Mark and then undo it; once you cross that line it is over.

I do believe that the thousand years is literal. All of time periods in Revelation are literal, and this is no different. (In fact, all of the time periods mentioned in all Bible prophecy are always literal. Every single prophecy that has been fulfilled so far has been fulfilled literally, and the time period that was given was also fulfilled literally. There is zero support for a figurative interpretation of any prophecy or prophetic period.)

The passage repeats the phrase “a thousand years” six times. I don’t see how it could possibly be any more clear! It doesn’t say “it is like a thousand years”, or “it is a long period of time”; instead it specifically says “a thousand years” over and over and over again. There is no symbolic language here: there reason it says “a thousand years” is because it is going to last a thousand years.

After Jesus returns, defeats the antichrist, and binds Satan, He is going to remain on Earth and reign over it for 1000 years. During that time the Church and the Tribulation saints will reign with Him. That is what the passage says, and that is what’s going to happen.

Revelation 20:1: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Notice that the being who comes down from Heaven and binds Satan is not Jesus Christ or Michael the Archangel, but is just “an angel”! Satan has been so thoroughly defeated that an ordinary angel can bind him.

People who are amillennial try to claim that the millennium is going on now and that the binding of Satan refers to Christ’s death on the cross. The problem with this theory is that Rev 20:1 doesn’t say that Christ bound Satan; it says that an angel did. Besides, are we really supposed to believe that for the past two thousand years Satan and all of his demonic forces have been bound and unable to cause any sort of harm or temptation? What about all those verses that say that Satan goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour? Those were written after Christ died! The truth is that these verses have not yet been fulfilled. Satan hasn’t been bound yet, but he will be.

There are some people who argue against a literal interpretation of this passage by saying that there is no way anyone could bind Satan with a chain. I think that’s a silly argument: if God says that Satan is going to be bound with a chain then who are you to say otherwise? I know of no passages in the Bible that say that Satan can’t be bound with a chain. I suspect that God knows exactly what is necessary to bind Satan.

After Jesus Christ defeats the antichrist and his armies, Satan will be bound and locked away in the bottomless pit, where he will be unable to cause any more trouble. There he will be imprisoned for a thousand years. During those thousand years Satan will no longer go around as a roaring lion. Instead he will be unable to deceive or harm anyone.

However, as we will see later in the chapter, the devil’s career is not entirely over. After the thousand years are over he will be set free for one final act of deception.

This book provides a detailed, verse-by-verse commentary on one of the most fascinating books in the Bible – the book of Jude.

Jude’s letter is short, but it is packed with information that is vital to our time in history. It warns us that in the last days many churches will be infiltrated by ungodly men who will attempt to destroy Christianity from within. Jude tells us how to spot these hidden wolves and what to do about them. Along the way he also talks about Enoch, the devil, and Michael the archangel.

Every church needs to read Jude’s letter and heed his warnings. Our churches are under attack, and we must use the tools that God has given to us to defend them.

This book can be downloaded free-of-charge right here:

Commentary on the Book of Jude (PDF file; 125 pages).

Printed copies can also be purchased here.