What does the average person think when they read these words of scripture? For me I automatically think modern ways of travel like aeroplanes and knowledge increased with the advent of the internet with all the knowledge it increasingly is bringing forward on an almost daily basis. Note the emphasis on the time period is towards the end of earths end when Christ will return and rule on this present earth for the millennium or 1000 years reign of Christ from His throne in Jerusalem, followed by the burning up of the present heaven and earth that leads to the final Judgment where every individual born from Adam and Eve to the end of the current age will take place (that is an awesome amount of people that ever was born into the earth) only the God of wonders and Majesty could create so many individual unique human beings. ( how long the final judgment will take could be a very long time,considering everyone is being judged for the deeds done while in their bodies upon the earth, could it take a thousand years or more, at this point we have to remember that God doesn’t view time as we are accustomed to view time, like the psalmist wrote that 1000 years to us is but a mere day so to speak to God. Anyways after the last judgement God will be creating a new heaven and earth where sin will never again enter, just like paradise restored. That is the righteous who inherit the righteousness given by Christ to every believer who finally enters into the joy of the Lord into the new heaven and possibly getting restored to the new earth as well. But the lake of fire is also a reality where the devil and his angels will already have been assigned to before the final judgment and it’s where everyone separated from Christ at the final judgement will be assigned as well where they will be tormented with the knowledge of their crimes for eternity and many will be cursing out at God with the statement Jesus used called nashing of teeth . According to Jesus it’s also called a place of outer darkness as portrayed by the parable of the feast were one was present who was uninvited and not wearing the appropriate clothing like the clothing of Christ’s righteousness and was put outside into outer darkness were all the unrightous are gathered. The truth of Jesus about the place called hades the place where the departed go who currently die outside Christ where everyone went into a divided place where part was called Abraham’s place before Calvary but we now understand that departed believers go straight into the presence of the Lord but then there is the lake of fire known as hell which is a completely different separate place created specifically for the time of the last judgment. A straight reading of the last judgement is giving us an understanding that it’s a universal judgment of everyone including believers and unbelievers because Jesus says that at the end of the judgment Jesus says to the redeemed that they will go with Jesus into everlasting bliss, while the unbelievers represented by the term goats go to the lake of fire. There are bible teachers out there who teach that the final judgment won’t include believers but that is just doing violence to scripture because a straight reading teaches the truth about all being at the final judgment, the judgment seat of Christ, they also teach that it isn’t the final judgment but separate from the final judgment but that is easily answered by the truth that it’s Christ himself sitting on the throne at the last judgment were all face Him , the rewards spoken about at the judgment seat of Christ is obviously at that final judgement seat of all people and it’s only after the final judgment that Christ gives up everything to God The Father so that God The Father will be over all and Christ will be subject to the Father for ever and as for the Holy Spirit’s role for eternity I’m not sure about onless He continues His work in dwelling the whole body of Christ throughout eternity which is a possibility but not definite because scripture doesn’t clearly say what the role of the Holy Spirit will be throughout eternity but perhaps like today the Holy Spirit indwells believers and Christ indwells through the Holy Spirit and finally after everything is over after the final judgment God The Father becomes overall and also becomes part of the trinity in our new bodies and spirit throughout eternity like Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. or 1 Corinthians 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
Milo 