If you already read through all the chapters, you probably noticed a great deal of repetition as well as consistency in what the Old Testament prophets had to say about the future and how well that correlated with New Testament realities and prophecies.
If you skipped ahead to here, you will also see the same pattern of repetition and consistency in the many referenced verses that are shown in the following Topical Summary. The harmony between what the Old Testament prophets said and what the apocalyptic scriptures of the New Testament reveal is truly remarkable.
By skipping ahead, you missed out on many of the golden nuggets of wisdom that God sprinkled throughout the oracles of the prophets. So, I strongly recommend that you go back and read each prophetic book chapter. Make it part of your Bible reading plan and meditate on these rich, inspiring words from God. You will also gain a deeper understanding of who the prophets were and how they related to the historicity of Israel’s travails.
Below is a summary of the primary conclusions about the end-times as drawn from both the prophets and the New Testament, primarily the book of Revelation. And please, be like the Bereans of Acts 17:11 – don’t just agree or disagree with my conclusions, study the scriptures for yourself. None of us will ever be able to fully comprehend what is to happen, but at this point in history, you should become more aware of what the Bible says about the end-times and then watch for the signs as Jesus exhorts in Matthew 24:42.
The Remnant
It is clear throughout the books of the Old Testament prophets that the Lord God has always intended to carry forward a remnant of true followers through all the self-inflicted tragedies that have challenged the survival of His people. This has been true since the Lord first called Abraham to father the people of Israel and will remain true right up to the rapture and Jesus Christ’s Second Coming.
The size of the remnant was defined by God as being about ten percent, a symbolic value, not necessarily precise (Amos 5:3). This suggests that only about ten percent of Christians alive at the time of the end will be raptured. There are many pseudo-Christians in the world in name only who are not true born-again believers (John 3:1-20).
In addition, many Christians will fall away from true faith (2Thesalonians 2:3, 1Timothy 4:1, Hebrews 3:12). And yet another group will submit to receiving the ‘mark of the beast’ in order to ‘buy and sell’ (Revelation 3:16), but doing so forfeits their salvation. (Revelation 14:9-10)
Restoration of Jerusalem
From the former days to the latter days, orthodox Jews think that the promises of full restoration and peace apply only to them, They expect that the glorious prophetic passages about Jerusalem as God’s habitation and as center of the world to be fulfilled when the Messiah comes. But, He has already come and if they don’t get on board they’re going to miss out on His second coming which will establish a New Jerusalem on a new earth. (Revelation 21)
The only place in Scripture where we see the full restoration of Jerusalem and God’s people is when the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven and Jesus Christ takes up residence among His people, which includes Messianic Jews who have accepted Jesus as their savior – but not those who refuse to believe in His first coming and accept His free gift of salvation before He comes again.
Jesus Christ’s First Coming
There are numerous passages throughout the Old Testament prophetic books that point ahead to the coming of a Savior. At the time, the prophets did not know exactly how this would occur, but Jesus fulfilled every one of them right down to the smallest detail (e.g. born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, taken to Egypt as a child, entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, etc.) See the Topical Summary – Christ’s First Coming – for many (but not all) of these Scriptures.
Destruction of the Old Earth
The Old Testament prophets made it quite clear that this earth as we know it will not survive (see Topical Summary – Final Judgment/Destruction of Earth – for many of these prophetic Scriptures). They agree quite closely with the accounts we find in several New Testament passages as well as in the book of Revelation. This complete destruction requires a new earth, which will either be the old one restored or replaced by a new one. Either way, Jesus promises, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)
New Heavens, New Earth, New Jerusalem
After the heavens roll up as a scroll (Isaiah 34:4, Revelation 6:14), the old earth is destroyed and literally melts away (Nahum 1:3, 2Peter 3:10) as the final judgments of God unfold on the Day of Wrath (see Topical Summary). After Jesus brings forth the new earth, the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven (Revelation 21) and is approximately 1,400 miles square. This is where Scripture tells us that the Tree of Life will be alongside the river of life flowing from the throne of God. (Revelation 22:1-5)
Jesus will Dwell in the New Jerusalem
Jesus Christ will establish His throne in the New Jerusalem and dwell among His people (Zechariah 8:3, Revelation 21:3-4) as they rule and reign with Him for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4). Nor is there a temple, for Jesus is the temple (Revelation 21:22), which means there is not a return to ritualistic sacrifices and offering, but instead direct worship of the Lamb of God. Jesus is the New Jerusalem’s light, so there is no need for a sun or moon and there is no night (Revelation 21:23). This also implies that the inhabitants, in their perfected bodies, have no need of sleep (Philippians 3:20-23).
Who Are the Inhabitants of the New Jerusalem?
Those born-again Christians who are alive at the time of the rapture and martyrs slain for their faith are the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 20:4). The rapture takes those believers who are alive at that time to meet Jesus in the air and then join Him in the New Jerusalem because 1Thessalonians 4:17 says we “shall always be with the Lord,” and that’s where He is going. This is the “first resurrection.” The rest of the dead are not resurrected until after the Millennial rule of Christ on the new earth in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 20:5). [For the timing of the rapture see Appendix A.]
Who Resides Outside the Walls of the New Jerusalem?
Several scriptures reveal that the remaining nations of the world will fill the rest of the earth beyond the walls of the 1,400-square mile New Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:11-2, Revelation 21:24-26). However, Satan and his horde of demons are not present because they have been imprisoned in the “bottomless pit” for the duration of the thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).
What Happens After the Thousands Year Reign of Christ?
After the Millennial rule of Jesus Christ on the new earth in the New Jerusalem, Satan is released and gathers the nations together to make war on the New Jerusalem, but they are quickly defeated by the fire of God coming down from heaven. (Revelation 20:7-10). No one knows really knows why it all has to happen this way because God’s Word doesn’t provide any additional information.
Then Comes the Great White Throne Judgment
According to Revelation 20:11-15, which begins with the word ‘Then’, immediately after Satan’s demise the “great white throne” is set up and the books are opened. One is the “Book of Life” which contains the names of the born-again believers. Anyone not saved is cast into the lake of fire along with “death and Hades” to join Satan, the anti-Christ and false prophet (Revelation 20:10). The second book is a complete account of the works and deeds of everyone by which our “treasure in heaven” (Matthew 6:20) is determined by what endures after passing through fire (1Corinthians 3:12-15).
Gospel of Grace 