What happens to the Ethnos?

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