The Wonderful World Beyond Today...
The Universe and Beyond
The plans, promises and prophecies of the Bible all lead to one thing—a potential almost beyond human comprehension! What does God have in store for you?
by Mike Bennett
The Bible describes incredible physical blessings to be enjoyed on this earth after Jesus Christ returns to save humanity from itself. Weapons of war will be recycled for productive purposes, and deserts will blossom. Even dangerous predators and poisonous snakes will be tamed (Isaiah 11:6-9)! This period of peace and prosperity on earth is prophesied to last 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4).
But as amazing and utopian as this time will be, God has something even greater in store for those He is training and transforming. By choosing to follow God's ways and learning to think like He does, human beings are preparing for a potential beyond our wildest dreams!
However, God has always given humans a choice. It's the only way to truly develop His character—to consciously choose to go His way even when the alternative looks appealing. Because this is how He works in this present evil age, it is logical to assume that He will work similarly with humans living under the benevolent rule of His Kingdom.
In this beautiful world, why would anyone choose to reject God's way of give and follow the selfish way of get instead? It seems incomprehensible.
The return of the enemy
Perhaps this dilemma helps explain the enigma of Satan's release at the end of the first 1,000 years of the Kingdom's reign on earth (often called the Millennium, from the Latin for "thousand years"). At the beginning of the Millennium Satan is locked up "so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while" (Revelation 20:3).
