THE REALITY OF THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS

Moreover, the simple assertions of the Scriptures should suffice as to the reality of this other world (II Thess. 2:9). And it is indeed an evil and somber empire! Whenever the Scriptures lift the veil, and allow us a momentary glimpse into the Kingdom of Darkness, we behold a malignant and evil community, but one perfect in order and government, and one that thirsts for the subjugation of the human race. If it could, it would doubtlessly annex all of our world to its own dominion. Indeed, the heaven which surrounds our world swarms with evil spirits. And while God has forbidden these spirits to communicate with man and has placed a gulf between them and us, they, nonetheless, break through from time to time - defying God - since they are not at present restrained by force. And this is confirmed by the Scriptures, for we find countless allusions to unlawful dealings between men and these spirits in the Old Testament, while in the New Testament, witchcraft [which is the unlawful relationship between men and the kingdom of Darkness] is treated as one of the works of the flesh. (Gal. 5:20)

THE SPHERE AND ORGANIZATION OF SATAN'S EMPIRE

It is perhaps necessary at this point to describe, as succinctly as possible, the arrangement of this evil empire - for unless we are made at least somewhat aware of its organization, we cannot truly appreciate the magnitude of the events which will transpire during the second half of the Seventieth Week [The Great Tribulation] or comprehend the depths of darkness into which the world will be plunged at this time.

It is commonly believed by many Christians that the abode of Satan and his followers is in the depths of the earth. While this may indeed ultimately be the case, it most certainly is not now. The Bible refers to him as the Prince of this World. Moreover, in doing so, it indicates that this title is not one that was usurped, but one that he holds legitimately and which belongs to him by right, together with great power and dignity - for how else does one explain the fact that the Lord Jesus Himself not only spoke of our great adversary by this title, but plainly recognized his delegated authority in that He did not dispute his right to the disposal of the kingdoms of this world and their glory (Luke 4:6-8). Moreover, how else can one understand the passage in Jude wherein Michael, the Archangel of God, is seen rendering to Satan the respect due to one superior in rank, even though that authority was then held in the hands of one who had become so wicked:

"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst (dared) not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." (Jude 1:9)

THE FALLEN ANGELS

Also, Satan is called the Prince of the Power of the Air (Eph. 2:2). The word here translated air would be better rendered Heavens. This would seem to be the same as the heavenly places which the NASB, the NKJV and the KJV version render "high places" (Eph. 6:12) and which, as Paul indicates, swarm with the spiritual hosts of the wicked. As Pember has written:

"What, then, is the nature of the power indicated by these titles of Satan? To understand it we must glance at the general hints of Scripture concerning spiritual agencies. For, though unseen and little suspected by the rulers of earth, they are also spiritual powers (Eccls. 5:8), all originally appointed by God, whether they be now loyal to Him or not. Rank above rank these watchers stand, each passing on his account to a superior until it reaches the Most high at the apex of the pyramid. So in Zechariah's first vision, those whom the Lord had sent to walk to and fro upon the earth are represented as delivering their report to the Angel of the Lord, who then appeals to the Almighty Himself." (Zech. 1:11-12)

"And hence we read of thrones, dominions, principalities, powers (Col. 1:16), archangels, and angels. Nor can we know much of Scripture without discovering that vast numbers of these invisible beings, who supervise the affairs of men and their world, are in open rebellion against the Almighty; that there are principalities, powers, and world-rulers of darkness, with whom, as Paul tells us, we have to wage a fearful warfare (Eph. 6:12). These all render account to Satan, their Prince, who, in his reports to the Most High, makes use of their intelligence to accuse ourselves and our brethren before God day and night." (Rev. 12:10).

But there is something more which we must see - note carefully the place where Satan accuses us "day and night!" It is not in the depths of the earth, but in the heavens - and even more, before the very throne of God Himself! (Rev. 12:10) This is substantiated in the Book of Job:

"Now there was a day when the sons [angels] of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them." (Job 1:6) (cf. Job 2:1 and Rev. 12:10)

Satan is not in the depths of the earth, but rather he is continually in heaven before the throne of God "day and night" accusing us before the Father! And not only is our great antagonist in heaven, but also his hosts - one third of the angels of heaven (Rev. 12:4). If it was not for the Son, who also appears continually at the throne as our great high priest (Heb. 8:1) with His own precious blood as an offering for our sin, we would have surely perished as a race long ago. From all this, we can easily comprehend that although Satan is a rebel, he has not as yet been deprived of his titles, his power, and - this is very important - his place in heaven; and this is as true of the angels who joined him in his ancient rebellion as it is of Satan himself. He is still the great "High One on High" (Isa. 24:21) who, as Pember suggests, divides the world into provinces according to nationalities, appointing powerful angels over each kingdom [such as the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Grecia - see Daniel]. And so we at last get some idea as to what Paul meant when he said that our battle was not with "flesh and blood," but it was instead with "principalities," with "powers," with the "world rulers of this darkness," and with "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).

THE DEMONS

And not only this, but man has another class of evil agents with which to contend, and while this second class of Satan's ministers have not the dominion and authority of the "high ones on high," they are, nonetheless, countless in number and their potential for harm almost as great - we speak here, of course, of the demons or "devils" of the New Testament. Their home is not the heavens on high, but the earth here below; and they do not share the attributes and power of the angels, but are instead the disembodied spirits of those who trod the earth in the flesh before the ruin described in the second verse of Genesis, and who, at the time of that great destruction, were DISEMBODIED by God, and left still under the power of their great leader in whose sin they shared. [Please see Pember's classic work, Earth's Earliest Ages for further study in these matters.]

As a result, these demons suffer a wearisome lack of ease, a wandering unrest, arising from a sense of incompleteness because of their disembodied state. They long to be clothed with flesh again, and so great is their craving that if they can satisfy it in no other way, they will even enter into the filthy bodies of swine (Matt. 8:31). Indeed, it is they, and not the evil angels, who - in their uncontrollable and insatiable desire to be clothed with flesh again - are responsible for the "possessions" described by the Scriptures. They long to "feel" again, if only pain, and this is the reason that many possessed persons inflict pain on themselves, for it is not they, but the demons which have entered them, who are responsible.

THE GULF BETWEEN THE TWO WORLDS

That the human race has not been totally subjected and submerged by these evil dignities on high and by the demons here below is only because of the gulf, perhaps the better word is the secular term "dimension," which God has fixed between them and us. For who could know the viciousness of their sin, the depths of their immorality, the vile power of their hateful lusts. And though they can appear as angles of light, they inhabit the halls of darkness, and their home is the blackness of night forever.

THE DAYS OF NOAH

However, as we intimated above, this dimension has, from time to time, been pierced and broken through. And when this has occurred, the result to man has been one of unparalleled disaster and moral collapse; indeed, it was precisely this that brought on the monstrous magnification of wickedness and sexual depravity in the days of Noah which eventually led to God's judgment in the Flood. This is detailed in some of the darkest, most enigmatic passages of Scripture contained in the Bible - and we do well to note them carefully. Genesis, chapter 6 says:

"Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God [lit., "Elohim," meaning angels - in this case, wicked angels] saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves [i.e., had sexual intercourse with] whomever they chose ... The Nephilim [lit., the fallen ones, meaning the offspring of the sexual union between the daughters of men and the angels of Satan] were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God [angels] came into the daughters of men [i.e., had sexual intercourse with them], and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old [in Greek mythology], men of renown ... Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth [as a result of man's intercourse with the angels of Satan], and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ... And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. And the Lord said, 'I will blot out man whom ... for I am sorry that I have made them'." (Genesis 6:1-2,4-7)

Pember writes concerning this:

"Now , in speaking of the sin of some of these, Jude (Jude 6) tells us that, despising the position of dignity and responsibility in which God had placed them, they voluntarily left their own home [or, disrobed themselves of the spiritual body proper to them as beings of heaven, and materialized for themselves an earth-body; for the word used here in the only other place in the New Testament means the heavenly body with which the believer longs to be clothed] in the ... [heavens], prompted as it would seem by earthward desires [for the daughters of men], and began to exercise an unlawful influence over the human race [which led eventually to the great increase of wickedness - far beyond what is even known today]. And, perhaps, as a punishment, their [i.e. that special class of Satan's angels which involved themselves in this specific crime] return [to heaven] was prohibited."

Pember goes on to say:

"The children of these unlawful connections before the flood were the renowned heroes of old: the subsequent repetition of the crime doubtless gave rise to the countless legends of the Classics [of Greek mythology], as well as in the ancient literature of other languages, in which human families are traced to a half-divine origin."

So heinous was their crime in the sight of God [that is, the unlawful sexual union between men and angels], that He destroyed man in the Flood and dashed the angels responsible to the lowest pit - for Peter tells us that after they [the angels] had sinned, God spared them not -

"... but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment ..." (II Peter 2:4)

Pember writes concerning this passage:

"... a more literal rendering (of this passage) would be ... 'For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved to judgment' ... Tartarus appears to be a place of imprisonment more terrible than Hades ... In the Greek mythology, Tartarus was a dark abode of woe, as far beneath Hades as Earth is below Heaven (Homer II. viii. 16) - a description which fairly corresponds to Peter's 'pits of darkness'. Very significant, too, is the fact that it was thought to be the prison of Cronos (i.e., Kronos) and the rebel Titans [the beings who in Greek mythology were responsible for exactly the same crime as described by Genesis 6]."

THE APPEARANCE OF THE FALLEN ANGELS

The foundations of human society before the Flood were destroyed by the appearance of the fallen angels. The eruption of these beings upon the earth led to the total corruption of the human race - so much so that it was beyond remedy. The fallen angels had burst the bands that had separated them from humanity. The gulf or dimension that God had placed between men and angels had been bridged, and now these malignant beings poured into the earth like a torrent into an empty lake bed. Violence and bloodshed filled the earth. Slaughter and rampage were everywhere. And if man had been sullied before by the taint of sin, he descended now into a state of abject disgust and abhorrence a thousand times worse than his condition before the poisonous infestation of his world by these malicious beings.

There appears to be but one other occurrence of this sin after the Flood: the assertion is made in Numbers 13:33 in reference to the sons of Anak, who are said to have been Nephilim (the word translated "giants" in the KJV in these verses is Nephilim). These were the Canaanites who so frightened ten of the twelve spies that Moses sent into Canaan after the Exodus to spy out the land; it seems to account for God's command that the whole race of the Canaanites should be extirpated or annihilated. The thought here is that the Canaanites should be removed much like a doctor would excise or amputate a cancerous leg from a man to preserve the rest of the body from the spread of the malignancy.

THE COMING REAPPEARANCE OF THE FALLEN ANGELS

Now, it has not been without cause that we have taken the time to delve into these Biblical references with regard to the supernatural - for as interesting as all of this is in and of itself, there is here a very somber and earnest reason indeed. And that is this: the gulf that has so long separated man from the fallen angels [and has preserved him from the depths of sin to which his fathers fell before the Flood] will be bridged once again, the bands broken, and the fallen angels - like a flood that has burst its boundaries - will inundate the earth once again as in the days of Noah. This then is the reason for the awful declaration:

"For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah." (Matt. 24:37)

The cause, then, of the unfathomable evil, wickedness, violence, and depraved sexual sin which will so devastatingly characterize the Great Tribulation of the second half of the Seventieth Week will be the shattering of the barrier which God has erected between man and the Kingdom of Darkness. Pember writes:

"... the future ... [fall] of the angels of darkness to earth will be the proximate cause of the GREAT REBELLION [i.e. the GREAT TRIBULATION] which will call forth the Lord Jesus in flaming fire to take vengeance." (Rev. 12:13).

THE MYSTERY OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS

With all this in mind, let us now return to the mystery of the Seven Trumpets. Note carefully the salient feature of the first four trumpets. All the plagues have their origin in the heavens! Like a flood, these beings - extraterrestrials, if you wish - pour onto the earth after their expulsion from the heavens. And the result? The plagues of the first four trumpets. The Bible compares their entrance into our atmosphere as follows:

• The First Trumpet: hail and fire mingled with blood.

• The Second Trumpet: a great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea.

• The Third Trumpet: a great burning star from heaven cast onto the earth - and the name of the star is Wormwood.

• The Fourth Trumpet: the sun, moon, and stars smitten.

Can anyone reasonably assume that literal stars will be cast onto the earth? No, of course not. The stars are the fallen angels and relate directly to Revelation 12:4, 12:8-9, and 12:12:

"And his [Satan's (i.e., the dragon's)] tail swept away a third of the STARS (i.e., angels) of heaven, AND THREW THEM TO THE EARTH ... and there was no longer a place found for them [i. e., the Devil and the fallen angels] in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down [cast out of heaven], the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him ... WOE TO THE EARTH AND THE SEA, BECAUSE THE DEVIL HAS COME DOWN TO YOU, HAVING GREAT WRATH, KNOWING THAT HE HAS ONLY A SHORT TIME."

There can be no doubt that the celestial bodies which are here seen crashing onto the earth are fallen angels. This is not only substantiated in the verse itself, but also by the prominence of the fraction: ONE-THIRD. THIS FRACTION RELATES DIRECTLY TO THE FALLEN ANGELS - one-third of whom rebelled against God and joined Satan in his insurrection (Rev. 12:4). [It should be noted here that God evidently set limits to the insurrection, those limits being a third of His dominions and no more.]

And woe unto those who in their ignorance and stupidity had looked to welcome these celestial beings, for " ... the name of the star is called WORMWOOD ... " (Rev. 8:11) What does this mean? Wormwood is hemlock, and is an extremely poisonous root. It is bitter and evil tasting, and is used throughout the Scriptures as a curse - especially in reference to SEXUAL SIN (Proverbs 5:4) and SPIRITUAL FORNICATION (Deut. 29:18, Jer. 9:15, 23:15, Lam. 3:15, 19). Spiritual fornication and sexual sin - these are the sins in which the fallen angels involved themselves and which brought on the Flood (Genesis 6). And the judgment and curse of God against them was great indeed:

"... wandering stars [ ... (these) angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day (Jude 6)], for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever." (Jude 13)

And once again, as in the days before the Flood, they will involve themselves in these same ancient sins - sexual intercourse with the daughters of men [producing Nephilim]; and, again as before, they will demand to be worshipped as gods [as they so demanded prior to the Flood and as depicted in the stories of mythology of the Ancient World].

All this, of course, has special reference to the character of the second half of the Seventieth Week wherein Satan in the guise of Antichrist will enter the Temple of God, and demand to be worshipped as God:

"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

"who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." (II Thess. 2:3-4)

What is the result to man in all of this? It will be the same as before the flood, the sudden and violent increase of immorality, wickedness and human depravity beyond all previous bounds [surpassing evidently even the bounds set by the sin which produced the Flood], producing bloodshed, rampage, savagery and tumult on an unheard of scale! - so much so that:

"... except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved ..." (Matt. 24:22)

THE FIFTH TRUMPET

But wait, there is more, much more:

"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.

"And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

"And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them as the scorpions of the earth have power.

"And they were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

"And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.

"And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die and death flees from them.

"And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.

"And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions.

"And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.

"And they have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men for five months.

"They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon (i.e., Apollos)." (Revelation 9:1-11)

These verses are rendered more intelligible in the Concordant Literal Translation of the New Testament:

"And the fifth messenger trumpets. And I perceived a star fallen into earth. And to him [the star or fallen angel] was given the key of the well of SUBMERGED CHAOS. And he opens the well of the submerged chaos, and fumes ascend out of the well as the smoke of a large furnace, and the sound and the air are darkened by the fumes of the well. And out of the fumes came out locusts into the earth, and license was granted them as the scorpions of the earth have license. And it was declared to them that they should not be injuring the grass of the earth, not any green thing, nor any tree, except those of mankind who have not the seal of God on their foreheads. And it was granted to them, not that they should be killing them, but that they shall be tormented five months; and their torment is as the torment of a scorpion, whenever he should be striking a man. And in those days men will be seeking death, AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL BE FINDING IT. And they will be yearning to die, and death is fleeing from them. And the likeness of the locusts are like horses ready for battle, and on their heads are as it were wreaths like gold, and their faces are as it were human faces. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth are as if they were lions. And they had cuirasses [body armor], as it were cuirasses of iron, and the sound of their wings is as the sound of many chariot horses racing into battle. And they have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their license is to injure mankind five months with their tails. They have a king over them - the messenger of the submerged chaos. His Hebrew name is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon (i.e., Apollos)."

Apollyon (Apollos - Rev. 9:11) in Greek mythology was the god of the heavens [the sun]. This is precisely the same personage referred to in verse 9:1:

" ... and I saw a star [fallen angel] from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him."

This is the same star that Revelation 8:9-11 refers to as "Wormwood ..."

"... and a great star fell from heaven burning like a torch, ... and the name of the star is called Wormwood; ... (Rev. 8:9-10)."

It is also that great personage referred to in Revelation 12:9 as "... the great dragon ... that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan ..."

"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth ... And to him, was given the keys of the bottomless pit, and he was given permission by God to free the hosts of hell [the demons or disembodied spirits]."

They are told not to hurt the grass or the earth in any way. THIS JUDGMENT IS ON THE SPIRIT OF MAN AND IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION; only those who have been sealed by God are to be spared. Revelation 9:5 says that they are not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment man for five months; and their torment is to be like the sting of a scorpion. In those days men will seek death and not find it - for the torment is spiritual and not physical! The prohibition [or protection] of God has been lifted from man's spirit.

This is no "common" possession [such as occurs today in instances of demon possession], THIS IS SPIRITUAL POSSESSION - TOTAL POSSESSION! Man is possessed totally by the demons - body, soul, AND SPIRIT!! They [men] are driven no longer by their own desires, but by the irresistible force of Satan's denizens. There is no longer any choice for them. The hater of humanity is now in total control - body, soul, and spirit. The possession is complete. The domination of man by the hosts of hell is now total.

These citizens of hell are described as horses prepared for battle - their strength cannot be contended. They are bent on the destruction of mankind. On their heads are crowns of gold [a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit], and their faces are like the faces of men [i.e. the men they possess]. They have hair like the hair of women [i.e., their hair is long and unkempt - they have been whipped into a frenzy]. Their breastplates are like iron and the sound of their wings is as the sound of countless war chariots - they are invincible.

FALSE PERCEPTIONS
CONCERNING THE WRATH OF GOD

Now in all of this - i.e., the study of Daniel's Seventieth Week - it is of the utmost importance to grasp this one fundamental fact: the Judgment of God - His wrath - begins ONLY WITH THE SEVEN VIALS which occur at the end of the Seventieth Week [and after the Seventh Trump of God - at which time the resurrection and the rapture occur (Matt. 24:29-31; I Thess. 4:16-17)]. The Scriptures are quite specific as to this:

"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven LAST plagues (i.e., the seven vials); FOR IN THEM IS FILLED UP THE WRATH OF GOD.

"... And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having breasts girded with golden ... [belts].

"And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels SEVEN GOLDEN VIALS FULL OF THE WRATH OF GOD, who liveth for ever and ever. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the VIALS OF THE WRATH OF GOD UPON THE EARTH." (Revelation 15:1, 6-7; 16:1)

The false perception of God's wrath as extending over the entire length of the Seventieth Week leads, naturally enough, to the erroneous conclusion that the church will be raptured BEFORE the Tribulation, because the Church is not appointed to wrath. If this was the case, that is, that the wrath of God extended over the entire length of the Seventieth Week; then, no doubt, the Church would have to be raptured, because it has been delivered from all such wrath. But this is not the case! - the wrath of God [which is to be differentiated from the Tribulation of the Saints] is contained only in the Seven Vials, which are to be poured out at the END of the Seventieth Week.

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET

At the Seventh Trumpet, the following occurs:

• The Resurrection and the Rapture.

• The Temple in Heaven is opened. (Rev. 15:5)

• Babylon is destroyed (Rev. 16:19).

• The Lord comes to rule and reign. (Rev. 11:15-16)

THE SEVEN VIALS

The Seven Vials (Rev. 15:1-16:31) are:

1. The plague of boils. (the first vial)

2. The sea turned to blood. (the second vial)

3. The rivers turned to blood. (the third vial)

4. The earth scorched. (the fourth vial)

5. The earth covered by darkness. (the fifth vial)

6. The Euphrates dried up. (the sixth vial)

7. The rain of hail. (the seventh vial)

THE GREAT SUPPER

Now the Scriptures mention a mysterious number of days AFTER the close of the Tribulation. The Bible says,

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (30 days after the close of the Tribulation period). "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days (75 days after the close of the Tribulation period and 45 days beyond the 1,290th day). (Dan. 12:11-12)

Herein one finds contained the time frame for the "Supper of the Great God" (the thirty day period after the close of the Tribulation era), and the "Judgment of the Nations" (the forty-five days after the end of the "Supper of the Great God").

The "Wrath of God" coupled with the Battle of Armageddon will leave the earth polluted with death; so from the 1,260th day of the last half of the Seventieth Week to the 1,290th day (30 days beyond the close of the Seventieth Week), the Lord will cleanse the earth:

"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, Saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the Great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great."(Rev. 19:17-18)

THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS

From the 1,290th day to the 1,335th day (or from 30th day beyond the close of the Seventieth Week to 75th day beyond) the nations will be judged:

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all His angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

"And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

"And He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

"Then the King shall say to those on His right, Come, you, who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom (the Millennial Kingdom) prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

"For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

"Naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or in prison, and come to You?

"And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? "And did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?

"And the King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.

"Then He will say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been 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; naked and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.

"Then they themselves also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?

"Then He will answer them, saying Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.

"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal live." (Matthew 25:31-46)

Their fate is determined by their actions during the Great Tribulation. If they stood by Christians and Jews during that period (much in the same way that Corrie Ten Boom and her family stood by the Jews during World War II), then they are allowed to enter the Millennium as "blessed of the Father" (Matt. 25:34). This corresponds to Daniel's statement in Dan. 12:12:

"And blessed are those who wait and remain until the 1,335th day."

After the 1,335th day, a new age is ushered in and the 1,000 year reign of Christ begins.