Proof that Christ is Not on the Earth

      One of the major misconceptions concerning the end-times is that when Christ comes again, we go up and meet Him in the air, and then come right back down as if we’re riding a Ferris wheel. This violates our Lord’s promise in John 14:1-3. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” You see, both the Bride and God’s people have places prepared for them.
        The misconception comes from Revelation 5:10 that says we have been kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. The Greek word for on here is epi. As with our English prepositions that show placement or position, the word can be translated in many ways, including over, upon, towards, beside, and above. Which word is to be used is determined by the context.
      The problem is that the translators were not consistent in how they translated the word, just as they were not consistent in whether or not they capitalized the word Day when referring to God’s prophetic plan of redemption. This often confuses the situation at hand. For example, this same word (epi) is translated as “over” in Rev. 17:18.
       End-Time Lesson: It may seem like we’re being picky about a minor grammatical issue. But this is not a minor issue. The place of all authority and power is the 3rd Heaven. It is from there that the immortal government reigns over the earth. During the great Week, the Father’s house is the 3rd Heaven. That’s why Jesus takes us back to Heaven to His Father’s house.
       There are other, more significant proofs that we are ruling over the earth. For one thing, we just saw that after Christ defeats the Antichrist’s armies that the nations still rebel against having to worship Christ at the Feast. And this is after the Father has placed His godly government in Jerusalem, under our delegated authority. A just government, in itself, does not automatically change the hearts of the people. Only by accepting Jesus as one’s Savior is the spirit of a person regenerated. This is why we must continue to focus on preaching the gospel rather than trying to reform nations.
        Second, human beings will still continue to be born during the millennial reign. They will still have the fallen nature. They will still need to receive Jesus as their Savior, which is why the Jewish saints take over our earthly ministry of preaching the Gospel and making disciples. The latter rain outpouring of the Spirit as a result of their 3rd Day revival likewise empowers them to become His witnesses on the earth.
         Third, unholy people cannot withstand being in the presence of the Holy One, let alone Christ in all His glory, and the innumerable company of 144 thousands as His Bride in our glorified perfection. This is why Jesus had to lay aside the glory of Heaven when He came the first time.
         There is one more reason we must consider, but to do so, we have to return to the rest of Satan’s story.  As we saw earlier, Satan is released from the Pit at the end of the Day of the Lord. Because God is just, He must allow all those people who were born during the last 1,000 years to decide once and for all whom they will love and serve. It’s the age-old choice from Genesis: the Tree of Life or the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—the blessings or curses, the life or death of Deuteronomy; the Way, the Truth, and the Life through Jesus or the deceptions and darkness of the father of Lies, Satan.
          Revelation 20:7-9 tells us the rest of Satan’s story. “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem]. And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them. The Devil, who deceived them, was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone where the Beast [the Antichrist] and the False Prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
          Satan is able to raise up one last rebellion, one last ditch effort to rule the world, at the end of the millennial reign. Do we really think that is possible if our Lord and His Church are on the earth in glorified bodies?
         Despite the fact that God has shown the world that He and He alone is the Most High God, those with evil hearts still dare to defy Him. Needless to say, the rebellion doesn’t get far. God’s final vengeance comes swiftly. It all goes down in flames! And Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire, which is eternal damnation. Then comes the final judgment. Stay tuned.