God's Kingdom 3: Life and Death in the Millennial Kingdom

"I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth . . . and the sea was no more.”

Previously . . . Worldwide saints and survivors celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel with Jesus. Afterward, Katie and her brethren returned to Ketchikan.

Rebuilding Begins

Katie inhaled deeply as she stepped onto Ketchikan’s familiar shoreline, marveling at the destruction that greeted her senses. The once pristine forests now bore jagged scars, with fallen trees scattered like matchsticks across the landscape. Eroded coastlines revealed the raw power of divine judgment. Yet amidst the chaos, vibrant signs of new life emerged.

As she walked through a meadow, wildflowers brushed against her legs, their petals a kaleidoscope of colors more vivid than she remembered. The rich, earthy scent of the soil filled her nostrils, teeming with the promise of abundance. Birds chirped melodies of renewal, their songs carried by a gentle breeze that caressed her skin.

In the distance, a herd of deer grazed peacefully alongside a pack of wolves, their once-fierce predatory instincts replaced by a divine calm. Katie watched in awe as an eagle perched on a branch above a salmon-filled stream, no longer a threat to the fish below. The fear and violence that once defined the animal kingdom had vanished, replaced by extraordinary harmony.

The sun's gentle rays warmed Katie's face, a stark contrast to the scorching heat of the tribulation. She tilted her head back, savoring soft raindrops that fell from the sky like a soothing balm upon the thirsty earth. The air hummed with a sense of purpose and anticipation.

As Katie and her brethren surveyed the remnants of the shattered city and its broken infrastructure, determination swelled within her. The task of rebuilding seemed monumental, but with Jesus reigning from Jerusalem, and the wisdom of the glorified saints to guide the survivors, she knew a glorious future awaited.

With each step, Katie felt the hope and promise of the millennial kingdom rise within her. The beauty and abundance of Southeast Alaska, though marred by the trials of the recent past, would soon be restored to its full splendor. She smiled as she considered the challenges ahead, ready to shape a new world founded on truth, righteousness, faith, and peace.

Planning Their New World

Katie felt the anticipation in the air as they all gathered outdoors to establish the structure of their region’s society under Jesus's reign.

Family Land Allotments

Uncle Andy stepped forward, his voice carrying across the assembly. "Just as Joshua divided the promised land to the twelve tribes of Israel, as we begin to plan who gets what, the first thing we need to define is how many pieces to cut this pie into. In other words, how many family units do we need to divide our region between?”

People all nodded in agreement.

“I propose that each family unit should get an allotment of land for the next 1000 years. So, every traditional family, as well as every single person, and every orphan will receive an equal allotment of land."

Jonathan McKee said, "Why will orphan children get the same allotment as my family of seven? They can't build a homestead."

"You're right. Today they can't. But within twenty years they can, and we're planning for the next 1000 years."

Sophia said, "I'm not a child, but as a single woman how can I build a house and develop a homestead?"

Andy said, "Good question. Anyone who doesn't have the resources, or isn't old enough to develop their allotment, can remain living in the community's hospitality center until they're able to make their allotted property habitable. Until then, the community will provide your needs through the hospitality center's ministry. But don't forget, we have 88 glorified saints and only 31 family units—and that number includes seven orphan children. So, there's going to be a lot of help available for people to build their homesteads."

Glorified Saints’ Allotments

Sophia nodded, then asked, "What about the glorified saints? Where will your allotments be?"

Katie responded, "Each family unit will have one or more saints assigned to help them, both spiritually and physically. But we each have an allotment in the spiritual realm, in paradise, and we can go there whenever we like. So we don't need an earthly allotment. All we'll need is a small cabin on our assigned family's property, and some of us can share a cabin.

Katie glanced at Ethan, a smile playing on her lips as murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

Scouting the Land

Nineteen men, a mix of five bachelors and fourteen fathers, volunteered to scout the region and establish the boundaries of the allotments. Katie watched as they set off, their strides purposeful and determined. Their task was to survey the land without knowing which portion they'd ultimately receive. As a result, they'd all try to make each allotment of land equally desirable—because it might be theirs.

It took the men twenty days to map their region of Southeast Alaska into 31 parcels of land. Each allotment included over 1000 acres. Each had access to a shoreline, for fishing and transportation, and each had forests for building materials and arable land for crops and gardens. Many were comprised of one or more islands. The boundaries of others were clearly identified by mountain peaks or rivers.

First Care for Orphans and Single Women

An hour after the men returned, Andy gathered everyone. "I know you're all eager, but before we draw lots to determine your family's allotment, I recommend we pool our resources to finish our hospitality center for our orphans and single women. With everyone helping, this should only take a few days."

Although everyone was eager to get their land and start building their homestead, they all agreed Andy's suggestion was the right thing to do.

Determining the Land Allotments

Five days later, the hospitality center longhouse was complete.

Thirty-one fathers, singles, and orphans gathered in a circle. Rachel carried a box around the inside of the circle for each person to blindly draw a paper. That paper would detail their family's land allotment for the next 1000 years. It also named the glorified saints assigned to spiritually and physically help the family.

First, the five women and seven orphans drew their lots. Then, the nineteen men drew their lots.

This is how Joshua did it.

Katie knew the Lord guided each hand, ensuring a fair and just distribution.

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh. (Proverbs 16:33)

When all 31 papers had been drawn out of the box, Andy led them all in prayer for God's blessing and praise for his provision.

As the meeting concluded, saints and families dispersed, talking and excitedly making plans for their designated allotments.

At the shoreline, Katie noticed something peculiar. The waterline of the saltwater channel seemed low. She pointed it out to Ethan, saying, "I've never seen it so low, even at low tide." He nodded in agreement. “Me neither.”

Their First Year

Three months later, Katie stepped into the bustling hospitality center in Ketchikan, the warm glow of the fireplace cast dancing shadows across the rustic wooden walls. The aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with the scent of spruce logs burning in the hearth.

As Katie made her way through the room, she overheard snippets of conversations—tales of newfound peace, questions about the kingdom's laws, and expressions of gratitude for the saints' guidance.

She smiled, her heart swelling with the knowledge that similar scenes were unfolding in villages throughout the region. In Kataan, David and Anna were likely sitting with their own group of eager learners, while Moses and Rachel, Peter, Chuck, Claire, Alex, and other glorified saints were dispersed to every corner of their region to mentor and lead mortals into immortality.

Katie noticed a young couple sitting near the window, their hands intertwined as they listened intently to Ethan's words. She recognized the woman as Sophia, who’d recently married Randall Parker—one of the five single men. The love and commitment in their eyes were a testament to the Lord's power to heal and transform lives.

Since they both had received a land allotment, when they married they chose to build their homestead on her large island, returning his allotment back to the community for later reassignment.

As months passed, Katie witnessed the survivors and saints working together to build a new world. The hospitality center, once a simple longhouse, grew into a thriving hub of activity. Skilled craftsmen from a neighboring region joined forces with the center’s residents, their laughter and camaraderie ringing out as they constructed a regional trading post, a food processing kitchen, a large root cellar, and other community buildings. The air was filled with the scent of freshly cut timber and the rhythmic pounding of hammers, a symphony of progress and unity.

Within a year, they'd transformed the once-devastated landscape. Comfortable homes dotted the hillsides, built from local timber and stone, and adorned with the loving touches of their inhabitants. Gardens bursting with life and vitality surrounded each dwelling.

As Katie walked through the restored village of Ketchikan, she marveled at the changes wrought not only in the physical world but in the hearts and faces of the people. Gone were haunted looks and weary shoulders, replaced by bright smiles and eyes filled with hope. The hope of immortality had taken root, guiding survivors’ lives with purpose, joy, and an ever-increasing quality of life.

With each passing day, Katie felt God’s love and wisdom flowing through her, Ethan, and Uncle Andy as they discipled those in their care. The hospitality center became a beacon of light, a place where all were welcome to come and learn, to grow and flourish under the gentle guidance of the saints.

It’s just like what Isaiah said. People are coming to us, eager and hungry to learn the ways of the Lord.

“And many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)

Yes, we are the mountain of the Lord, teaching people his ways.

And as she looked out over the thriving community, Katie knew this was just the beginning of a glorious new era, one in which the Lord's way of life and peace reigned supreme.

But even in this promising new world, even with the Devil, his evil world system, and Adam’s curses forever behind them, some people's sinful nature still polluted their thoughts, words, and actions.

The Fall Feasts - After Year One

The crisp autumn air carried the aroma of grilled salmon and fresh bread as the Ketchikan community gathered in the town square on the first day of Ethanim, the seventh month.

The Day of Trumpets

Colorful banners fluttered in the gentle breeze, proclaiming the joyous occasion of Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets. Katie stood among the crowd, her glorified body radiant in the sunlight, as she reflected on the significance of this day. Exactly one year ago, the shofar sounded, and the 144,000 saints, along with all of God's martyrs since Abel, were resurrected and glorified in the first resurrection. Katie's heart swelled with gratitude as she remembered the moment she was reunited with Ethan, Rachel, Moses, and Uncle Andy—all of them in their glorified bodies.

Then, in paradise, they had reveled in the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The Day of Atonement

On Ethanim 10, prayers of thanksgiving filled the air as Ketchikan’s residents celebrated God's triumph over Satan at Armageddon and the establishment of Jesus's millennial kingdom, exactly one year ago. This was the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement.

The Feast of Tabernacles

The next day, the glorified saints, their faces glowing with divine light, encouraged the region’s twenty-four men to prepare for their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the annual Feast of Tabernacles, from Ethanim 15 to 22. The saints planned to travel and arrive in Jerusalem on the 14th, to prepare their sukkah (pronounced soo-ka) before the feast began the next day.

As Katie made her way through the Hospitality Center, Joseph, a teenage orphan whose parents were killed by a tsunami, approached her and Ethan, his eyes wide with curiosity. "Excuse me, Miss Katie," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "How do people travel to Jerusalem for Tabernacles? It's more than 3,000 miles away and the feast is in a few days."

Katie smiled warmly, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "People travel to Tabernacles by holding a saint's hand when they 'spirit travel' to Jerusalem. One moment we’re standing here, and the next we’re at our destination," she explained, her voice gentle and reassuring. "Once there, we’ll build our sukkahs and have a wonderful time of edification and fellowship with saints and people from all nations. After the 8th Day celebration is over, we’ll return the same way."

The boy's eyes sparkled with wonder. He nodded in understanding before rushing off to share this newfound knowledge with three shy kids huddled nearby, apparently waiting for the answer.

Preparing to Depart

As the saints prepared to depart for the feast, Katie noticed some men were also bringing their wives and children, all of whom looked eager to repeat last year's Feast of Tabernacles activities.

At the end of last year’s feast, Jesus said all men must attend each annual Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, and he welcomed men to bring their families, but families’ attendance is optional.

She saw two men standing apart, arms crossed, their faces etched with bitterness and resentment. Jonathan McKee and Randall Parker were apparently choosing to stay behind.

Katie's heart ached for them, knowing the pain they carried in their hearts. Jonathan's parents and Randall's sister had taken the mark of the beast and worshiped the Antichrist, sealing their fate when Jesus separated the sheep from the goats. The weight of their loss hung heavy on the men's shoulders, a stark contrast to the joy and unity that surrounded them.

Katie whispered a prayer for Jonathan and Randall, asking God to soften their hearts and grant them peace.

As the glorified saints vanished, hand in hand with people who wanted to attend the feast, Katie took one last look at the two men before she and Ethan would disappear in a flash of divine light, their destination set for Jerusalem.

Just then, Joseph, the skinny, sandy-haired orphan, rushed up to her, pleading, "Miss Katie, I'd like to go and see Jesus again. Will you take me? I won't be any trouble, I promise."

Ethan chuckled and grabbed Joseph's hand. "Sure, Joe. You can come with us, and you can even stay in our sukkah."

Consequences of Disobedience

Katie watched with concern as the months passed following that first year's Feast of Tabernacles. The lush green of the surrounding forest stood in stark contrast to the parched, cracked earth of Jonathan McKee's and Randall Parker's allotments. Not a single drop of rain fell on their lands. Their once-fertile soil now baked dry and lifeless beneath the relentless sun. To sustain their families, they were both forced to plant gardens on the allotment Randall gave up when he married Sophia. It required frequent travel and much inconvenience for both of them. And every trip pricked their conscience.

Katie and Ethan were with Sophia’s glorified parents, their bodies radiant, when they visited the two men, patiently explaining the consequences of disobeying God’s commands, both before and after Armageddon.

Sophia’s father said, “Your relatives disobeyed repeated warnings from both saints and angels about taking the mark of the beast and worshiping the Antichrist. The consequence of their disobedience was their rejection when Jesus separated the sheep from the goats.”

“Now, the consequence of your disobeying Jesus’ command to attend the annual Feast of Tabernacles is the removal of God’s blessing on you and your land.”

The prophet Zechariah prophesied,

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, Yahweh of armies, to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of armies, there will be no rain on them. ” (Zechariah 14:16-17)

Katie saw the weight of understanding settle on Randall's shoulders. His head bowed in repentance and he confessed, “I’m sorry. I’ll obey the Lord in the future.”

Following Randall’s attendance at the next Feast of Tabernacles, rain fell upon his land, and it prospered abundantly.

But Jonathan remained unmoved, his heart hardened against the saints' counsel.

In the months and years that followed, Katie watched Jonathan’s family suffer, their faces gaunt and their clothes hanging loose on their frames. His land seemed to mirror Jonathan's decay, the brittle leaves of his crops crumbling to dust beneath his feet. Within three years, his body shriveled like a husk, his skin stretched thin over protruding bones. The stench of sickness clung to him, growing stronger until the day he finally succumbed to the cancer that ravaged his body.

After Jonathan's death, Katie observed as Sophia's parents took charge of Jonathan’s struggling widow and her five children. They all prayed, and God sent the rain once again. Their gentle hands coaxed life back into her garden and their nets pulled fish from the nearby stream. Slowly, the land and Jonathan’s family prospered once more, with children's laughter ringing out across the fields.

A Rod of Iron

As the years slipped by, Katie bore witness to a pattern that emerged. Those who chose to stray from God's path faced the consequences of their actions. Age crept up on them, their bodies weakened, and their minds clouded. Painful ailments took root—the pain was a constant reminder of their disobedience. Crops withered and died, leaving behind barren fields and empty stomachs.

Katie considered the direct correlation between obedience and blessing versus disobedience and cursing. She recalled Revelation 19:15,

“He will rule them with a rod of iron.”

Surely, the consequence of disobedience is a rod of iron.  

Yet, for those who recognized their error and repented, creation responded positively. Katie marveled as she watched wrinkles smooth and gray hair darken, the passage of time reversing its toll on their bodies. Ailments vanished, leaving behind only the memory of their sting. Fields that laid fallow burst forth with new life, the crops thriving under the tender care of those who'd returned to God's way.

The words of Isaiah 65:20 echoed in Katie's mind as she watched the generations pass. No longer did infants perish before their time, and the elderly lived out their days in fullness. Only those who rebelled against God failed to see their hundredth year—their lives cut short by their own choices.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

Three centuries later, Katie looked out over a world transformed.

There Was No More Sea

In the natural world, the ocean continued to recede, revealing hundreds of miles of seabed. Within three years, lush pastures and meadows covered the dry seabeds. Then forests sprang up.

As the mortal population reached into the millions, and then billions, these new lands provided new land allotments for the ever-expanding population to thrive and spread over the face of the earth. By the end of the thousand years, the sea disappeared, leaving only freshwater springs, lakes, and rivers on the earth.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1)

In the world of mankind, those who chose to walk separate from God passed into memory, their legacy a cautionary tale for the generations that followed.

But for all those who embraced God's path of obedience to and fellowship with God's Spirit, life took on a new meaning. They succeeded where Adam and Eve failed, their mortal bodies continuously sustained through perfect and continuous communion with God. Their faces glowed with the radiance of eternal youth, their laughter a symphony that filled the air.

It’s like a restored Garden of Eden.

Katie recalled God's promise, If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

As mankind's population far surpassed the number of glorified saints, Katie watched as God raised up leaders from among those who'd attained conditional immortality. Among them were Randall, Sophia, and three of Jonathan McKee’s children—all of them reigning in life when the 1000 years ended.

For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

These few, their hearts pure and their faith unwavering, took their place alongside the glorified, resurrected saints, learning from them and guiding their fellow men with divine wisdom. Jesus’s kingdom thrived under their stewardship, a testament to the transforming power of living in harmony with God's Spirit.

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Coming next week . . . As the 7th Day of creation ends, Katie witnesses the general resurrection of the just and unjust, the Great White Throne Judgment, the Book of Life versus the Lake of Fire, and what comes after the millennium—the 8th Day.

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