Who are the ethnos?

Who are the Nations?

Have you ever wondered what happens to those that reject the Gospel?

The Bible refers to the unconverted as “pagans” “gentiles” or the “nations”.  These are all the same word in Greek “ethnos”.

The “ethnos”, namely the ‘Nations’ ‘pagans’ and ‘gentiles’ generally refer to people who are not God’s people.

The Nations are here now, they will be gathered before Christ at his Second Coming, they will be on Earth during the Millennium and they will surround the New Jerusalem in Eternity.

Matt 28:19 says: ‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations’

Luke 24:47 says: ‘Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations.’

The nations then are the unconverted.   They are those that we need to preach to.

Col 1:13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

When people in the nations are converted, they become part of God’s kingdom

Matt 24:9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

In the end times, it is the nations who persecute God’s people.

Rev 2:26 says ‘to him who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the Nations.

This shows that God’s people (those who are victorious and do God’s will) are different to the Nations.   God’s people will be given authority over the nations during the millennium and in eternity.

In Rev 20:7-9 Satan deceives the nations at the end of the millennium.  The Nations number like the sand of the sea and march across the breadth of the Earth to surround the camp of God’s people.

This shows that the Nations will be present during the Millennium and they are separate from God’s people.

Rev 21:24 says that in Eternity, the Nations will walk by the light of the New Jerusalem and the Kings of the Earth will bring their splendor into it

God’s people will be with God in the New Jerusalem.

Who then are these nations who are outside the New Jerusalem?

Rev 22:2 says that the Leaves of the tree are for the healing of the Nations.

The nations in Eternity still need healing.  Just who are they?

 

When Jesus comes again, he will lead an army of redeemed believers to strike down the nations

Rev 19:15  Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”

Matthew 24 says that when the son of man comes, his angels with gather his elect from the four winds of heaven.

And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.  And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Chapter 25 says that when the son of man comes with all the angels, all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats

It says that when the Son of Man comes in all his glory and all the angels with Him, he will sit on his glorious throne.   All the nations will be gathered before Him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the Sheep and the Goats.  He will put the Sheep on his right and the Goats on his left.

In Matt 24 the son of man comes in his glory and his Angels gather his elect.

In Matt 25 the son of man comes in his glory with his angels and all the Nations are gathered before him

God raptures the church and then he judges the nations.

God tells them, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.   In other words, God will judge the Nations according to how they treated God’s people.  This seems like a judgment according to works but actually it smacks of grace.

The Sheep Nations who were kind to God’s people – (these brothers and sisters of mine) are rewarded and do not go to hell

Those who failed to show kindness to God’s people – The Goat Nations, are sent to hell

This explains where the nations in Eternity and in the Millennium come from.

The New Jerusalem is composed of believers from old and new testament times.  The old testament believers symbolized by the 12 gates and the new testament believers by the 12 foundations.

Rev 3:12 says The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.

Outside are the Nations who were not thrown into the lake of fire.  These nations must therefore be in the Lamb’s book of life.  Yet they are not God’s people

 

The Nations are here now, they will be standing before Christ when he returns and they will be on Earth during the Millennium and in Eternity.

Those who are converted become God’s people and are no longer the nations.

Those who are kind to God’s people escape the lake of fire and are allowed to live outside the New Jerusalem in eternity

Jesus comes to redeem the Church and judge the Nations when the Seventh Seal is opened and when the Seventh Trumpet sounds

Revelation 7:9 -8:1

9After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” 13Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore,“they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ ”

8:1When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The Seventh Seal differs from the other seals in that the events associated with it precede the mentioning of it.  This is also the case with the seventh Trumpet.

The sealing of the 144000 Jews and the rapture of the Great Multitude are, therefore, linked to the seventh seal.

It is quite fitting that the Rapture of the Church should immediately follow the opening of the seventh and last seal on the scroll that the Lamb is opening.  The scroll is none other than the Book of Life (or a chapter there of).  When the Book is opened, the names of those who are Born Again are known.  The Sons of God are thus revealed and the angels immediately set about raising them from the dead or redeeming them from the Earth.

Revelation 11:15-19

15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” 16And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” 19Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

The Seventh Trumpet is the Last Trumpet to sound.  It is when Christ returns to redeem the Church and judge the Nations.  It is also associated with the opening of the little scroll which is the Book of Life (or a part there of). 

The Second coming of Christ to Redeem the Church and Judge the Nations, therefore, corresponds to the opening of the Seventh Seal and the Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.

 

 

http://truthinlove.com/References/TheRapture.html

The Rapture immediately precedes the Battle of Armageddon

1Thess 4:13-18

13Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The Lord will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God (the seventh trumpet) and the dead in Christ will rise first (first resurrection) and after that those in Christ who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meed the Lord in the air.  

The Lord will later return with his faithful followers to strike down the nations with a sword that proceeds out of his mouth.

2Thess 2:1-12

1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

5Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

When the Lord Jesus Christ comes, we (the believers) will be gathered to him.  That day will not come until the man of lawlessness has been revealed and the rebellion has occurred.  He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or worshipped.  He will set himself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God.

The Lord Jesus will over throw him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.   Jesus will be accompanied by his called, chosen and faithful followers which he has gathered to himself.

1Cor 15:51-52

51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

The last trumpet heralds the Day of the Lord when Jesus returns with his faithful followers to defeat the beast and the false prophet and strike down the nations.  

The Church will be raptured and the dead in Christ will be raised (first resurrection) in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, as soon as the seventh trumpet sounds.

The seventh trumpet will span 75 days, during which God will pour out the seven bowls of his wrath upon the nations of the Earth who are gathered at Armageddon.  This is the third woe.

Jude 1:14-16

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

The Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge the nations of the Earth and to convict all of them of the ungodly acts they have done in their ungodliness and the defiant words of ‘ungodly sinners’.

In other words, Jesus is coming with an army of  believers to judge the ungodly.  Zachariah tells us that there will be some pagans who survive the battle of Armageddon.  There will be ‘nations’ on Earth during the Millennium and there will be ‘Nations’ outside the New Jerusalem in Eternity.

Rev 17:12-14

The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.  They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.  They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.

The beast and the kings of the Earth will wage war against the Lamb but the Lamb will triumph over them.  The lamb will have with him his called, chosen and faithful followers who were raptured / resurrected 30 days prior to the abomination that causes desolation being set up.

http://truthinlove.com/References/TheRapture.html

The Nations will stand before Christ when he comes with all his angels. The nations will be divided into the sheep and the Goats according to how they treated God’s people.

The Day of the Lord culminates with the Battle of Armageddon. It is the Final Judgment upon the Nations (Pagans) where the Beast and the False prophet are defeated. It precedes the Millennium. It is not the same as the Battle of Gog and Magog at the End of the Millennium.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matt 25:31-46

Here, Christ comes with his Angels and his brothers and sisters to Judge the Nations of the world.

The word for Nations (ethnos) may be translated as pagans or gentiles and it generally refers to the unsaved or the ungodly.

The Nations are judged according to their works, ie how they treated God’s people (the least of these brothers and sisters of mine).   It does not refer to Salvation which is by faith.

Those who were saved by faith were raptured or resurrected to be with the Lord about 30 days prior to the Lord coming to judge the Nations.  There was a marriage in heaven and now Christ is leading the believers back to Judge the ungodly, the pagans, the gentiles otherwise known as the Nations.

The Nations are separated into two groups called the ‘Sheep’ and the ‘Goats’.

The Goats are those who persecuted God’s people and are probably the same people who worship the beast and received his mark.  They will thrown into the Lake of Fire where there will be will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Sheep are the people of the Nations who were kind to God’s people.  As they are regarded as righteous and given eternal life, they cannot have worshipped the beast or received his mark.  Their reward is to be the Nations who are on Earth during the Millennium and also in Eternity (if they do not rebel when Satan is released at the end of the Millennium).  The Nations in Eternity do not have the same privileges  as those in the New Jerusalem.

The Story of  Sheep and the Goats is, therefore, another reference to the Battle of Armageddon where Christ comes with his army of believers to strike down the ungodly nations who rejected the gospel.

http://truthinlove.com/References/Sheep_Goat_Judgment_Armageddon.html

The Lamb will bring with him his called, chosen and faithful followers and will triumph over the nations and the beast

“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.  They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.  They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Rev 17:12-14

This is a reference to the Battle of Armageddon.

The Beast, the False Prophet and the Kings of the Earth will wage war against the Lamb but the Lamb will be victorious because he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  This term is used in Revelation chapter 19 which is also a reference to the Battle of Armageddon.

As in Jude and Revelation chapter 19, the Lamb is accompanied by his called, chosen and faithful followers and he comes to judge the ungodly for the ungodly things that they have done.

 

http://truthinlove.com/References/Sheep_Goat_Judgment_Armageddon.html

 

The armies of heaven follow Christ when he comes to strike down the Nations

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.

Rev 19:11-16

In Jude, it says that Christ returns with his ‘Holy Ones’ to judge the ungodly.

In Revelation Ch 17, the Lamb will be accompanied by his called, chosen and faithful followers when he wages war against the 10 kings and the beast.

Here Christ is pictured riding a white horse, eyes blazing like fire, wearing many crowns and dressed in a robe dipped in blood.  His name known only to himself.  None other than the word of God.  Coming out of his mouth was a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.

The armies of heaven were following him.  Dressed in white linen and mounted on white horses.  These are none other than the believers who appear in heaven earlier in the chapter and are now returning with Christ as his warrior bride to judge the nations.

The Nations are the Godless, Pagans or unbelieving Gentiles who rejected the Gospel.

Some of them were kind to Christians and refused to worship the beast and receive his mark.  Many accepted the mark of the Beast and persecuted the Christians.

God will separate them into the Sheep and the Goats.

The Sheep, who were kind to Christians, will be rewarded and allowed to continue to live as the Nations on Earth during the Millennium and in Eternity as well (provided that they do not rebel when Satan is released at the end of the Millennium).  They will not be part of the New Jerusalem but will be able to enter it once a year.  They will need the leaves of the Tree of Life for healing.

http://truthinlove.com/References/Sheep_Goat_Judgment_Armageddon.html

The Lord’s people will judge the World.

 

 

 

Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

1Cor 6:2-3

Christ will come with an army of believers to judge the nations.

The Church will have been raptured /resurrected to be with Christ in the Clouds some time prior to this (after 1260 days of tribulation).

When Christ comes 30 days later, he will separate the nations into the ‘Sheep’ who were kind to God’s People and the ‘Goats’ who persecuted God’s people.  This will take 45 days.

In all likelihood, it will be the ‘Goats’ who worshipped the beast, received his mark and then persecuted the Christians.

 

http://truthinlove.com/References/Sheep_Goat_Judgment_Armageddon.html

 

 

When Christ comes with all his angels, he will reward each person according to what they have done

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Matt 16:27

Here it says the Son of Man will come in his Father’s glory with all his angels.  He will reward each person according to what he has done.

Christians will stand before the judgement seat of Christ where they will be judged for the things that they have done in the body.   This is where believers get rewarded for the the things that they have done in the body of Christ.

Pagans will stand before Christ and the armies of heaven where they will be judged according to how they treated the believers.

Salvation is according to faith.   But we will all be judged according to what we have done whether as part of the body or not.

 

http://truthinlove.com/References/Sheep_Goat_Judgment_Armageddon.html

 

 

The Lord will come with thousands upon thousands of his Holy ones to judge the ungodly.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Jude 1:14-16

The Lord is coming with thousand upon thousands of his holy ones to judge the ungodly.

God will judge ungodly sinners of all the defiant words they have spoken against him.  He will convict them of all the ungodly acts that they have committed in their ungodliness.

Here Christ brings with him his ‘Holy Ones’ to judge the ungodly sinners who remain on earth after the rapture of the Church.

These ungodly sinners  will be the Nations standing before Christ at his Second Coming.

The Holy ones that Christ brings with him will be the armies of heaven, the redeemed saints.

The Nations will be divided into the Sheep and the Goats according to what they have done.  This is a judgement based on works.

Christians will be raptured or resurrected to be with Christ when he comes on the clouds. After a celebration in heaven and a marriage feast, Christ will return with his army of believers to judge the ungodly nations before the Millennium begins.

Christians are saved by faith but even Christians will be judged and rewarded according to what they have done in the body.

 

http://truthinlove.com/References/Sheep_Goat_Judgment_Armageddon.html

People will need to decide which camp they belong to at the Battle of Armageddon

End times – people will be divided into four groups of people depending on how they view Jesus.

 

http://truthinlove.com/References/armageddon.htm

http://truthinlove.com/end_times/index.htm