What is the glorious future of man?
What is the fantastic and surprising future of man? What does the Bible say will happen immediately after Jesus' second coming and into eternity? What will be the future of the devil and the fate of countless humans who have never repented and become true Christians?
In the future, at the end of the Great Tribulation period, Jesus was prophesied to return to earth. It does so in part to save man from total annihilation (see our article entitled "Jesus returns!"). His arrival, together with all the saints brought back to life during the first resurrection, will introduce what is called the Millennium. It will be a time, lasting 1.000 years, in which the Kingdom of God will be fully established among humans.
The future dominion of the land of Jesus as King of kings, from its capital to Jerusalem, will bring the greatest moment of peace and prosperity that anyone has ever experienced. People will no longer waste their time discussing whether God exists, or which parts of the Bible, if any, should be used as a standard for how man should live. Everyone in the future will not only know who their Creator is, the true meaning of Scripture will be taught to everyone (Isaiah 11: 9)!
At the end of Jesus' next 1.000 years of rule, the Devil will be authorized to leave his spiritual prison (Revelation 20: 3). The great Deceiver will immediately do what he always does, that is, deceive man into sin. Everyone he has deceived will gather in a large army (just as he did to fight the Second Coming of Jesus) and will try, one last tired time, to overcome the forces of justice.
God the Father, responding from heaven, will consume the whole group of Satan's rebel humans as they prepare to attack Jerusalem (Revelation 20: 7 - 9).
How will God ultimately handle his opponent? After the devil's last war against him, he will be grabbed and thrown into the lake of fire. The Bible therefore strongly suggests that he will not be allowed to continue living, but will be given the death penalty, which means he will no longer exist (for more information see our article "Will the devil live forever?").
The judgment of the white throne
What does God intend to do, in the not too distant future, with BILLIONS of humans who have never listened to the name of Jesus, have never fully understood the Gospel and have never received his Holy Spirit? What will our loving Father do with the unspeakable number of babies and children who have been aborted or died at a young age because of them? Are they lost forever?
The second resurrection, known as the Day of Judgment or the Great Judgment of the White Throne, is God's way of offering man's vast majority of salvation. This future event is destined to occur after the Millennium. Those brought back to life will have their minds open to understanding the Bible (Revelation 20:12). They will then have the opportunity to repent of their sins, accept Jesus as their Savior and receive the spirit of God.
The Bible suggests that man, in the second resurrection, will be able to live a meat-based life on earth for up to 100 years (Isaiah 65:17 - 20). Aborted babies and young children will be made alive again and will be able to grow, learn and reach their full potential. Why, however, should all those who should be brought back to life in the future live a second time in the flesh?
Those of the future second resurrection must build the same kind of right character, through the same process, like all those called and chosen before being. They must live a life by learning the true doctrines of Scripture and building the right character through overcoming sin and their human nature using the Holy Spirit within them. Once God is satisfied with having the character worthy of salvation, their names will be added to the Lamb's Book of Life and receive the gift of eternal life as a spiritual being (Revelation 20:12).
The second death
What does God do with the relatively few humans who, in his eyes, have understood the truth but have knowingly and deliberately rejected it? His solution is the second death made possible by the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14 - 15). This future event is God's way of mercifully and eternally wiping out the existence (not tormenting them in some hell) of all those who commit unpardonable sin (see Hebrews 6: 4 - 6).
Everything becomes new!
When God has achieved his greatest goal, which is transforming as many humans as possible into his spiritual character image (Genesis 1:26), he will then devote himself to the much faster task of remaking the rest. Not only will he create a new earth but also a new universe (Revelation 21: 1 - 2, see also 3:12)!
In the glorious future of man, the Earth will become the true center of the universe! A new Jerusalem will be created and placed on the planet where the thrones of the Father and Christ will reside (Revelation 21:22 - 23). The Tree of Life, which appeared for the last time in the Garden of Eden, will also exist in the new city (Revelation 22:14).
What does eternity reserve for man made in the glorious spiritual image of God? The Bible is silent about what will happen after all existing beings are forever holy and righteous. It is possible that our loving Father is planning to be generous and kind enough to allow us, who will be his spiritual children, to decide what the future will bring.