We have seen that the righteous have been in heaven for the 1000 year millennium where they were judging the wicked. We will now look at the evidence showing that both Jesus and the righteous people will come back to the earth when the 1000 years are finished.
The first Scripture we will look at to show this return is Jude 14. Many have taught that verse 14 describes the second coming of Jesus. But we will see that it is really describing the third coming of Jesus that occurs at the end of the 1000 years when Jesus and the saints both come back to the earth.
- Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, Jude 1:14
There has been a lot of interest in Jude’s use of the word: “saints”. Some have supposed that the word “saints” should really be “angels”, or that it should be understood to be talking about the angels; Because, everyone knows that Jesus is coming with His angels at the second coming:
- For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Matthew 16:27.
However, Jude probably meant saints instead of angels because he has no trouble in using the “angels” word in verse 6. It is there that Jude uses the word “angels” to describe the wicked angels who left heaven. He says that they will eventually face judgment.
- And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; Jude 1:6
Others have used this text to help support the idea that people go up to heaven when they die. So they think that Jude 14 teaches that the saints, who have already died, are coming back to the earth with Jesus at the second coming.
However, this goes against basic Bible truth. The Bible is very plain. We have already seen that Jesus will raise the righteous dead when He comes again on that great day of the second coming and not before. He raises the righteous dead at His second coming, at the trump of God. Then He will take both groups back to heaven:
- For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
- Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
Jesus Himself comes down from heaven at His second coming. This is the big event at the end of the world when Jesus comes to get His people and take them back with Him. Then, with a shout of the archangel’s voice and the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ rise up first. Then, all who are still alive in Christ, are brought up together with those who had died in the clouds and they meet the Lord in the air to be always with Him.
Jesus makes the rightous dead alive! Up till that time, the Bible clearly says that the dead do not know anything when they die; Because in the very day that they die, their thoughts perish:
- For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
- Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
“The dead know not any thing!” Everything about them is gone, their memory, their love, their hatred, their envy, and they no longer act. They are asleep. They are nonexistent.
- His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Psalms 146:4.
Again we see that when the breath of life goes back to God and the body returns to dust, their thoughts perish. It should be clear that the dead cannot talk, or think or do anything. They essentially no longer exist as a living thinking person.
| All through the Bible, it talks about death as a sleep. To learn more about what happens when we die click on the link to the right (A new window will appear). |  |
Getting back to Jude 14, the dead in Christ are not coming back with Jesus at the second coming, as some think Jude 14 says, because the righteous dead are not alive yet. They do not get resurrected to life until Jesus comes at the second coming. So, they cannot come back with Christ until after they are resurrected, which must be some time following the second coming of Christ.
- Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, Jude 1:14
The only explanation that fits is that Jude 14 must be describing Christ’s third coming, following the 1000 year millennium. The righteous have been in heaven judging the wicked. Now they will come back to witness God execute judgement on the wicked before the righteous inherit a newly made earth.
Let’s look at more evidence. In Jude 14-16, it actually says that the Lord is returning with His saints to execute judgment on the wicked!
- Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
- “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
- These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. Jude 1:14-16
In this judgment, all the ungodly will be convicted. So the wicked will be convicted and sentenced as in a court setting. Other texts show that the judgment of the wicked will indeed happen at this time:
- Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
- The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
- Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Revelation 20:11,13-14
However, when it says the ungodly will be convicted, could it also mean that the wicked will also be convinced of their own wickedness?
This is interesting. Why would the wicked need to be convicted of all their ungodly deeds if they will just be destroyed? Is there any reason for it?
Maybe the righteous will need to experience the process of the conviction where they see that the wicked themselves are actually acknowledging their own sins. But the promise has been given that: “Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Maybe the righteous will need to see that the wicked really do acknowledge their own sins; That they are convicted of their own sins. But, we do have this verse that says: “Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
- that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
- and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
It says those under the earth, that must be the wicked; It says the wicked will bow down to Jesus and they will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
| Satan has attacked God on this very point. He is the one who has contested against Jesus and even the Father. Yet, at the end even Satan will acknowledge that God was fair in dealing even with him. To learn more about this issue click on the link to the right (A new window will appear). |  |
So, as part of the judgement process of the wicked, sometime before they are destroyed, the wicked will praise God and bow the knee. Even Satan will bow before Jesus and the Father! They will know that it was their failure that they did not become saved for eternity.
Getting back to Jude 14-16:
- Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
- “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
- These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. Jude 1:14-16
Verse 16 reminds us of the group that is judged; Because, we can easily compare the description of that group to the group described in Revelation 22:15. These are the wicked which are to be destroyed:
- Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
- But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. Revelation 22:14-15
The wicked are grumblers and complainers who walk according to their own lusts. Thus they speak great swelling words which flatter people so they can gain the advantage over others. It is no wonder that these people are now called sorcerers and are sexually immoral. They are murderers and idolaters who love to lie.
The wicked are now the ones who are confirmed sinners. They do not want to change. Thus, they are found outside the city, the New Jerusalem, where they will be destroyed.
We have ignored the first part of Jude 14. But if we look at it now we find that Jude is actually talking about some men:
- Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, Jude 1:14
Who are these men? If we look at verses 10-13, we can see that Jude is really talking about the wicked all along and their destruction at the end!
- But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
- Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
- These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
- raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
- Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
- “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
- These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. Jude 1:10-16
The men that Jude is talking about are those who speak evil and who corrupt themselves. They are the wicked. Jude describes them as being wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. So in verse 14 Jude speaks of the time when the Lord comes with His saints to execute judgment on all these ungodly wicked.
We know that the wicked will experience definite woe. It is blackness of darkness forever! So, it is clear that Jude is speaking of eternal death! They will experience the second death from which there is no return. This is spoken of in Revelation which we will soon see when we speak of the wicked.
In verse 14, we see that Enoch prophesied about these wicked men specifically. He said that the Lord, with the righteous saints, will come back, at the end of the 1,000 years of the millennium, to execute judgment. This is when the wicked will be destroyed and experience the blackness and darkness of death forever.
So, it is clear that Jude 14 is not describing the second coming; But instead, Jude 14 is speaking of Christ’s third coming. It is actually describing when the wicked are destroyed, at the end of the millennium.