Chapter 41

God’s Day of Judgment​—Its Joyful Outcome!

Vision 15​—Revelation 20:11–21:8

Subject: The general resurrection, Judgment Day, and blessings of new heavens and a new earth

Time of fulfillment: The Thousand Year Reign

1. (a) What did mankind lose when Adam and Eve sinned? (b) What purpose of God has not changed, and how do we know?

AS HUMANS, we were created to live forever. If Adam and Eve had obeyed God’s commands, they would never have died. (Genesis 1:28; 2:8, 16, 17; Ecclesiastes 3:10, 11) But when they sinned, they lost perfection and life both for themselves and for their offspring, and death came to reign over mankind as a relentless enemy. (Romans 5:12, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:26) Nevertheless, God’s purpose to have perfect humans live forever on a paradise earth did not change. Out of his great love for mankind, he sent to earth his only-begotten Son, Jesus, who gave his perfect human life as a ransom for “many” of Adam’s offspring. (Matthew 20:28; John 3:16) Jesus can now use this legal merit of his sacrifice to restore believing humans to life in perfection on a paradise earth. (1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:2) What grand reason for mankind to “be joyful and rejoice”!​—Isaiah 25:8, 9.

2. What does John report at Revelation 20:11, and what is the “great white throne”?

² With Satan confined in the abyss, Jesus’ glorious Thousand Year Reign begins. It is now the “day” in which God “purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.” (Acts 17:31; 2 Peter 3:8) John declares: “And I saw a great white throne and the one seated on it. From before him the earth and the heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.” (Revelation 20:11) What is this “great white throne”? It can be none other than the judgment seat of “God the Judge of all.” (Hebrews 12:23) Now he will judge mankind as to who will benefit from Jesus’ ransom sacrifice.​—Mark 10:45.

3. (a) What is indicated by the fact that God’s throne is said to be “great” and “white”? (b) Who will do the judging on Judgment Day, and on what basis?

³ God’s throne is “great,” emphasizing Jehovah’s grandeur as Sovereign Lord, and it is “white,” calling attention to his flawless righteousness. He is the ultimate Judge of mankind. (Psalm 19:7-11; Isaiah 33:22; 51:5, 8) He has, however, delegated the work of judging to Jesus Christ: “The Father judges no one at all, but he has committed all the judging to the Son.” (John 5:22) With Jesus are his 144,000 associates, to whom the “power of judging was given . . . for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4) Even so, it is Jehovah’s standards that decide what will happen to each individual during Judgment Day.

4. What does it mean that “the earth and the heaven fled away”?

⁴ How is it that “the earth and the heaven fled away”? This is the same heaven that departed as a scroll at the opening of the sixth seal​—the human ruling powers that are “stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.” (Revelation 6:14; 2 Peter 3:7) The earth is the organized system of things that exists under this rulership. (Revelation 8:7) The destruction of the wild beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, along with those who received the mark of the wild beast and those who render worship to its image, marks the fleeing away of this heaven and earth. (Revelation 19:19-21) Judgment having been executed on Satan’s earth and heaven, the Great Judge decrees another Day of Judgment.

The Thousand-Year Judgment Day

5. After the old earth and the old heaven flee away, who are the ones left to be judged?

⁵ Who are left to be judged after the old earth and the old heaven flee away? Not the anointed remnant of the 144,000, for these have already been judged and sealed. If any of the anointed are still alive on earth after Armageddon, they must shortly thereafter die and receive their heavenly reward by resurrection. (1 Peter 4:17; Revelation 7:2-4) However, the millions of the great crowd who have now come out of the great tribulation stand conspicuously “before the throne.” These have already been counted righteous for survival because of their faith in Jesus’ shed blood, but their judging must continue through the thousand years as Jesus keeps on guiding them to “fountains of waters of life.” Then, having been restored to human perfection and thereafter tested, they will be declared righteous in the fullest sense. (Revelation 7:9, 10, 14, 17) Children who survive the great tribulation and any children born to the great crowd during the Millennium will similarly need to be judged during the thousand years.​—Compare Genesis 1:28; 9:7; 1 Corinthians 7:14.

6. (a) What throng does John see, and what is indicated by the words “the great and the small”? (b) How will the countless millions in God’s memory no doubt be brought forth?

⁶ John, however, observes a throng far more numerous than the surviving great crowd. It will number into the thousands of millions! “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened.” (Revelation 20:12a) “The great and the small” embraces the prominent as well as the less prominent ones of humans that have lived and died on this earth during the past 6,000 years. In the Gospel that the apostle John wrote shortly after Revelation, Jesus said of the Father: “He has given him [Jesus] authority to do judging, because Son of man he is. Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (John 5:27-29) What a stupendous project​—the undoing of the deaths and burials throughout all history! No doubt those countless millions in God’s memory will be brought forth gradually so that the great crowd​—so few by comparison—​will be able to handle problems that may arise because resurrected ones may tend at first to follow their old lifestyle, with its fleshly weaknesses and attitudes.

Who Are Raised and Judged?

7, 8. (a) What scroll is opened, and what takes place thereafter? (b) For whom will there be no resurrection?

⁷ John adds: “But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds.” (Revelation 20:12b, 13) A breathtaking spectacle indeed! ‘The sea, death, and Hades’ each plays a part, but note that these terms are not mutually exclusive.a Jonah, when in the belly of a fish and therefore in the midst of the sea, spoke of himself as being in Sheol, or Hades. (Jonah 2:2) If a person is held in the grip of Adamic death, then likely he is also in Hades. These prophetic words give strong assurance that no one will be overlooked.

⁸ There are, of course, an unknown number who will not be resurrected. Among these would be the unrepentant scribes and Pharisees who rejected Jesus and the apostles, the religious “man of lawlessness,” and anointed Christians “who have fallen away.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3; Hebrews 6:4-6; Matthew 23:29-33) Jesus also spoke of goatlike people at the world’s end who go into “the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels,” namely, “everlasting cutting-off.” (Matthew 25:41, 46) No resurrection for these!

9. How does the apostle Paul indicate that some will be specially favored in the resurrection, and whom do these include?

⁹ On the other hand, some will be specially favored in the resurrection. The apostle Paul indicated this when he said: “I have hope toward God . . . that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) With regard to the earthly resurrection, “the righteous” will include faithful men and women of old​—Abraham, Rahab, and many others—​who were declared righteous as to friendship with God. (James 2:21, 23, 25) In this same group will be those righteous other sheep who died faithful to Jehovah in modern times. Likely, all such integrity keepers will be resurrected early in Jesus’ Millennial Reign. (Job 14:13-15; 27:5; Daniel 12:13; Hebrews 11:35, 39, 40) No doubt many of these resurrected righteous ones will be assigned special privileges in overseeing the tremendous work of restoration in Paradise.​—Psalm 45:16; compare Isaiah 32:1, 16-18; 61:5; 65:21-23.

10. Of those to be resurrected, who are “the unrighteous”?

¹⁰ Who, though, are “the unrighteous” mentioned at Acts 24:15? These would include the great masses of mankind who have died throughout history, particularly those who lived in ‘times of ignorance.’ (Acts 17:30) These, because of where they were born or when they lived, had no opportunity to learn obedience to Jehovah’s will. Additionally, there may be some who did hear the message of salvation but who did not respond fully at that time or who died before they had progressed to dedication and baptism. In the resurrection such ones will have to make further adjustments in their thinking and life course if they are going to benefit from this opportunity for gaining everlasting life.

The Scroll of Life

11. (a) What is “the scroll of life,” and whose names are recorded in this scroll? (b) Why will the scroll of life be opened during the Thousand Year Reign?

¹¹ John speaks of “the scroll of life.” This is a record of those in line to receive everlasting life from Jehovah. The names of the anointed brothers of Jesus, of the great crowd, and of faithful men of old, such as Moses, have been recorded in this scroll. (Exodus 32:32, 33; Daniel 12:1; Revelation 3:5) As yet, none of the “unrighteous” resurrected ones have their names in the scroll of life. So the scroll of life will be opened during the Thousand Year Reign to permit the writing of names of others that come to qualify. Those whose names do not get written in the scroll, or book, of life are “hurled into the lake of fire.”​—Revelation 20:15; compare Hebrews 3:19.

12. What will determine whether a person gets his name written in the opened scroll of life, and how did Jehovah’s appointed Judge set the example?

¹² What, then, will determine whether a person gets his name written in the opened scroll of life at that time? The key factor will be the same as it was in the days of Adam and Eve: obedience to Jehovah. As the apostle John wrote to beloved fellow Christians: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:4-7, 17) In the matter of obedience, Jehovah’s appointed Judge set the example: “Although [Jesus] was a Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered; and after he had been made perfect he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him.”​—Hebrews 5:8, 9.

Opening Other Scrolls

13. How must resurrected ones demonstrate their obedience, and what principles must they follow?

¹³ How must these resurrected ones demonstrate their obedience? Jesus himself pointed to the two great commandments, saying: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’ The second is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mark 12:29-31) There are also Jehovah’s well-established principles that they must follow, such as to repudiate stealing, lying, murdering, and immorality.​—1 Timothy 1:8-11; Revelation 21:8.

14. What other scrolls are opened, and what do they contain?

¹⁴ However, John has just mentioned other scrolls that will be opened during the Millennial Reign. (Revelation 20:12) What will these be? At times, Jehovah has given specific instructions for particular situations. For example, in Moses’ day he provided a detailed series of laws that meant life for the Israelites if they obeyed. (Deuteronomy 4:40; 32:45-47) During the first century, new instructions were given to help faithful ones to follow Jehovah’s principles under the Christian system of things. (Matthew 28:19, 20; John 13:34; 15:9, 10) Now John reports that the dead are to be “judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.” Evidently, then, the opening of these scrolls will publish Jehovah’s detailed requirements for mankind during the thousand years. By applying in their lives the regulations and commandments of those scrolls, obedient humans will be able to lengthen their days, attaining finally to everlasting life.

15. What kind of educational campaign will be needed during the resurrection, and how will the resurrection likely proceed?

¹⁵ What an extensive campaign of theocratic education will be needed! In 2005, Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide were conducting, on the average, 6,061,534 Bible studies in various locations. But during the resurrection, countless millions of studies, based on the Bible and the new scrolls, will no doubt be conducted! All of God’s people will need to become teachers and to exert themselves. Resurrected ones, as they progress, will no doubt share in this vast teaching program. Likely, the resurrection will proceed in such a way that those who are alive may have the joy of welcoming and instructing former family members and acquaintances, who, in their turn, may welcome and instruct others. (Compare 1 Corinthians 15:19-28, 58.) The more than six million Witnesses of Jehovah who are active in spreading the truth today are laying a good foundation for the privileges they hope to have during the resurrection.​—Isaiah 50:4; 54:13.

16. (a) Whose names will not be written in the scroll, or book, of life? (b) Who are those whose resurrection will prove to be one “of life”?

¹⁶ With regard to the earthly resurrection, Jesus said that ‘those who did good things come out to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.’ Here “life” and “judgment” contrast with each other, showing that those resurrected ones who “practiced vile things” after being instructed in the inspired Scriptures and scrolls are judged to be unworthy of life. Their names will not be written in the scroll, or book, of life. (John 5:29) This would also be true of any who previously followed a faithful course but who, for some reason, turn aside during the Thousand Year Reign. Names can be erased. (Exodus 32:32, 33) On the other hand, those who obediently follow the things written in the scrolls will keep their names on the written record, the scroll of life, and continue living. For them, the resurrection will have proved to be one “of life.”

The End of Death and Hades

17. (a) What wonderful action does John describe? (b) When is Hades emptied? (c) When will Adamic death be “hurled into the lake of fire”?

¹⁷ Next, John describes something truly wonderful! “And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire. Furthermore, whoever was not found written in the book of life was hurled into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14, 15) By the end of the millennial Judgment Day, “death and Hades” are completely removed. Why does this involve a thousand years? Hades, the common grave of all mankind, is emptied when the last one in God’s memory is resurrected. But as long as any humans are tainted by inherited sin, Adamic death is still with them. All those resurrected on earth, as well as the great crowd that survives Armageddon, will need to obey what is written in the scrolls until Jesus’ ransom merit has been applied in fully removing sickness, old age, and other inherited disabilities. Then Adamic death, along with Hades, is “hurled into the lake of fire.” They will be gone forever!

18. (a) How does the apostle Paul describe the success of Jesus’ rule as King? (b) What does Jesus do with the perfected human family? (c) What other things take place at the end of the thousand years?

¹⁸ Thus, the program that the apostle Paul describes in his letter to the Corinthians will come to completion: “For [Jesus] must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. As the last enemy, [Adamic] death is to be brought to nothing.” What happens next? “When all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him.” In other words, Jesus “hands over the kingdom to his God and Father.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28) Yes, Jesus, having conquered Adamic death through the merit of his ransom sacrifice, will hand over a perfected human family to his Father, Jehovah. It is evidently at this point, at the end of the thousand years, that Satan is released and the final test takes place to determine whose names will remain permanently recorded in the scroll of life. “Exert yourselves vigorously” so that your name may be among them!​—Luke 13:24; Revelation 20:5.

[Footnote]

Chapter 42

A New Heaven and a New Earth

1. What does John describe when the angel takes him back to the beginning of the Thousand Year Reign?

THIS glorious vision continues to unfold as the angel takes John back to the beginning of the Thousand Year Reign. What does he describe? “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.” (Revelation 21:1) A captivating panorama comes to view!

2. (a) How was Isaiah’s prophecy about new heavens and a new earth fulfilled upon the restored Jews in 537 B.C.E.? (b) How do we know that there will be a further application of Isaiah’s prophecy, and how is this promise fulfilled?

² Hundreds of years before John’s day, Jehovah had said to Isaiah: “For here I am creating new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart.” (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22) This prophecy was initially fulfilled when faithful Jews returned to Jerusalem in 537 B.C.E. after their 70-year exile in Babylon. In that restoration, they formed a cleansed society, “a new earth,” under a new governmental system, “new heavens.” The apostle Peter, however, pointed to a further application of the prophecy, saying: “But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Peter 3:13) John now shows that this promise is fulfilled during the Lord’s day. “The former heaven and the former earth,” Satan’s organized system of things with its governmental structure influenced by Satan and his demons, will pass away. The turbulent “sea” of wicked, rebellious mankind will cease to exist. In its place will be “a new heaven and a new earth”​—a new earthly society under a new government, God’s Kingdom.​—Compare Revelation 20:11.

3. (a) What does John describe, and what is New Jerusalem? (b) How does New Jerusalem ‘come down out of heaven’?

³ John continues: “I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2) New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ, made up of the anointed Christians who remain faithful to death and who are raised to become kings and priests with the glorified Jesus. (Revelation 3:12; 20:6) Just as earthly Jerusalem became the seat of government in ancient Israel, the magnificent New Jerusalem and her Bridegroom make up the government of the new system of things. This is the new heaven. The ‘bride comes down out of heaven,’ not literally, but in the sense of directing attention to the earth. The Lamb’s bride is to be his loyal helpmeet in operating a righteous government over all mankind. A blessing indeed for the new earth!

4. What promise does God make that is similar to the one he made to the newly formed nation of Israel?

⁴ John tells us further: “With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them.’” (Revelation 21:3) When Jehovah made the Law covenant with the then new nation of Israel, he promised: “I shall certainly put my tabernacle in the midst of you, and my soul will not abhor you. And I shall indeed walk in the midst of you and prove myself your God, and you, on your part, will prove yourselves my people.” (Leviticus 26:11, 12) Now Jehovah is making a similar promise to faithful humans. During the thousand-year Judgment Day, they will become a very special people to him.

5. (a) How will God reside with mankind during the Millennial Reign? (b) How will God reside among mankind after the Thousand Year Reign?

⁵ During the Millennial Reign, Jehovah will “reside” among mankind in a temporary arrangement, he being represented by his royal Son, Jesus Christ. At the end of the Thousand Year Reign, however, when Jesus hands the Kingdom over to his Father, no royal representative or intercessor will be needed. Jehovah will reside spiritually with “his peoples” in a permanent and direct way. (Compare John 4:23, 24.) What a lofty privilege for restored humanity!

6, 7. (a) What grand promises does John disclose, and who will enjoy the blessings? (b) How does Isaiah describe a paradise that is both spiritual and physical?

⁶ John goes on to say: “And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) Once again, we are reminded of earlier inspired promises. Isaiah also looked forward to the time when death and mourning would be no more and grief would be replaced by exultation. (Isaiah 25:8; 35:10; 51:11; 65:19) John now confirms that these promises have a wonderful fulfillment during the thousand-year Judgment Day. First the great crowd will enjoy the blessings. “The Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne,” continuing to shepherd them, “will guide them to fountains of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:9, 17) But eventually all those who are resurrected and exercise faith in Jehovah’s provisions will be there with them, enjoying a paradise that is both spiritual and physical.

⁷ “At that time,” says Isaiah, “the eyes of the blind ones will be opened, and the very ears of the deaf ones will be unstopped.” Yes, “at that time the lame one will climb up just as a stag does, and the tongue of the speechless one will cry out in gladness.” (Isaiah 35:5, 6) At that time, too, “they will certainly build houses and have occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build and someone else have occupancy; they will not plant and someone else do the eating. For like the days of a tree will the days of my people be; and the work of their own hands my chosen ones will use to the full.” (Isaiah 65:21, 22) So they will not be uprooted from the earth.

8. What does Jehovah himself say with regard to the reliability of these grand promises?

⁸ What magnificent foregleams fill our minds as we meditate on these promises! Wondrous provisions are in store for faithful mankind under heaven’s loving government. Are such promises too good to be true? Are they just the dreams of an old man exiled on the island of Patmos? Jehovah himself answers: “And the One seated on the throne said: ‘Look! I am making all things new.’ Also, he says: ‘Write, because these words are faithful and true.’ And he said to me: ‘They have come to pass! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.’”​—Revelation 21:5, 6a.

9. Why can these future blessings be viewed as absolutely certain of realization?

⁹ It is as though Jehovah himself were signing for faithful mankind a guarantee, or title deed, to these future blessings. Who would dare question such a Guarantor? Why, so certain are these promises of Jehovah that he speaks as though they were already fulfilled: “They have come to pass!” Is not Jehovah “the Alpha and the Omega . . . , the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty”? (Revelation 1:8) Indeed he is! He himself declares: “I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6) As such, he can inspire prophecies and fulfill them in every detail. How faith strengthening! So he promises: “Look! I am making all things new”! Rather than questioning whether these marvels will really happen, surely we should be wondering: ‘What do I personally have to do to inherit such blessings?’

“Water” for the Thirsty Ones

10. What “water” does Jehovah offer, and what does it stand for?

¹⁰ It is Jehovah himself who declares: “To anyone thirsting I will give from the fountain of the water of life free.” (Revelation 21:6b) To quench that thirst, a person has to be conscious of his spiritual need and be willing to accept “the water” that Jehovah provides. (Isaiah 55:1; Matthew 5:3) What “water”? Jesus himself answered that question when witnessing to a woman beside a well in Samaria. He told her: “Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty at all, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water bubbling up to impart everlasting life.” That “fountain of the water of life” flows from God through Christ as his provision for restoring mankind to perfection of life. Like the Samaritan woman, how eager we should be to drink deep from that fountain! And like that woman, how ready we should be to drop mundane interests in favor of telling others the good news!​—John 4:14, 15, 28, 29.

The Ones Conquering

11. What promise does Jehovah make, and to whom do the words first apply?

¹¹ Those who drink of that refreshing “water” must also conquer, as Jehovah goes on to say: “Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:7) This promise is similar to the promises found in the messages to the seven congregations; hence, these words must apply in the first place to anointed disciples. (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21) Christ’s spiritual brothers throughout the ages have eagerly anticipated the privilege of being part of New Jerusalem. If they conquer, as Jesus conquered, their hopes will be realized.​—John 16:33.

12. How will Jehovah’s promise at Revelation 21:7 be fulfilled toward the great crowd?

¹² The great crowd out of all nations also look to this promise. They too must conquer, loyally serving God until they come out of the great tribulation. Then they will enter into their earthly inheritance, ‘the kingdom prepared for them from the founding of the world.’ (Matthew 25:34) These and others of the Lord’s earthly sheep who pass the test at the end of the thousand years are called “holy ones.” (Revelation 20:9) They will enjoy a sacred and filial relationship with their Creator, Jehovah God, as members of his universal organization.​—Isaiah 66:22; John 20:31; Romans 8:21.

13, 14. To inherit God’s grand promises, what practices must we resolutely avoid, and why?

¹³ With this grand prospect in view, how important it is that Jehovah’s Witnesses now remain clean from the defiling things of Satan’s world! We need to be strong, resolute, and determined that the Devil will never drag us down into the company that Jehovah himself here describes: “But as for the cowards and those without faith and those who are disgusting in their filth and murderers and fornicators and those practicing spiritism and idolaters and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur. This means the second death.” (Revelation 21:8) Yes, the would-be inheritor has to avoid the practices that have befouled this old system of things. He has to conquer by remaining faithful in the face of all pressures and temptations.​—Romans 8:35-39.

¹⁴ Christendom, though she claims to be the bride of Christ, is characterized by the disgusting practices that John here describes. So she goes down to eternal destruction with the rest of Babylon the Great. (Revelation 18:8, 21) Likewise, any of the anointed or of the great crowd who take up the practice of such evildoing, or start encouraging it, face everlasting destruction. If they persist in these actions, they will not inherit the promises. And in the new earth, any who try to introduce such practices will be destroyed speedily, going into the second death without hope of a resurrection.​—Isaiah 65:20.

15. Who are outstanding as conquerors, and with what vision is Revelation brought to a sublime climax?

¹⁵ Outstanding as conquerors are the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and his bride of 144,000, New Jerusalem. How fitting, then, that Revelation should be brought to a sublime climax by a final, transcendent view of New Jerusalem! John now describes one last vision.

[Pictures on page 302]

In the new earth society, there will be joyful work and fellowship for all