The literal, visible, physical, earthly, Davidic kingdom

I’ve always been taught that the kingdom of God was a spiritual reign of God in the hearts of all believers from the beginning to the end. However, I've come to see through my studying that this is not totally accurate.  What are your thoughts on this matter?

As far as the kingdom of God being the "spiritual reign of God in the hearts of all believers"...well that is just some nonsensical "wisdom of words" that men who do not rightly divide God's word, and who do not understand or believe our Apostle Paul's apostleship, ministry or message! The spiritual principle that our Apostle wrote about in 2 Timothy 2 is so true, especially when it comes to this issue.

2 Timothy 2:7

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

So the very first thing that we need to do when trying to understand any passage of the scriptures today, is to understand it from a Pauline dispensational perspective, and when we do, we will see that it has nothing to do with a "spiritual reign" of God in the hearts of men. Let's look at the actual verse in question.

Luke 17:21

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Notice that it is from this one verse that those who do not rightly divide God's word of truth come up with their erroneous interpretation of what the kingdom of God means. But just a simple, cursory looking at the immediate context will show that that is not at all what our Lord is saying! (Nor would it apply to the people that he is saying it to, even if it was what he was saying). Notice in the context, to whom he was speaking...

Luke 17:20-21

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

As you can see, the people that our Lord was speaking to were not "believers," but the exact opposite—the unbelieving religious leaders of Israel! In verse 20, the apostate Pharisees demanded of him, in other words, they were not sincerely seeking knowledge and true understanding of when and where the earthly kingdom of God would come. On the contrary, they were being hostile towards him, even though he time and time again proved his being their Messiah, and they were in fact trying to mock and embarrass him with their questioning!

At this point in history, the Roman Empire was the ruling force over Israel, and the Jews were looking for their Messiah to come in power and great glory...for him to be the great deliverer and get those gentiles off of their backs and give them the kingdom. But what our Lord is saying is that in his first coming the offering of the kingdom to Israel has to do with him showing up on Daniel's time schedule as prophesied and then first dying for their sins in order to make them worthy to be God's kingdom of priests and a holy nation!

Daniel 9:25

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Mark 1:15

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Galatians 4:4

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Our Lord, when he says that the kingdom of God is "within you," he means within the "nation of Israel!” God the Father actually sent his Son, the King within the nation’s midst—right then and there. It was in his first coming that God was offering them the kingdom. It was in his first coming that the nation of Israel was to receive it!

Matthew 11:12-15

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And even though he was going to first die for their sins, he still was offering the kingdom because part of the prophesied earthly kingdom was that Messiah would first die!

1 Peter 1:7-12

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory [the earthly Kingdom] that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel [of the Kingdom of God] unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down [at Pentecost] from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

The issue of the kingdom of God coming "not with observation" has nothing to do with it simply being just a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of men...that it will be. But it will be so much more!  It will be a literal, visible, physical, earthly, Davidic kingdom...and he is simply saying that it would not, in his first coming, be a huge, dramatic show of power and great glory—yet. That coming of Messiah and his kingdom—in power—would be in his second coming to the earth to Israel!

Matthew 24:30

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Revelation 1:7

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [Israel] also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

And notice that he actually says that later on in the context of the passage we are studying!

Luke 17:24-25

For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

By the way, while we are on this particular topic, all this also explains what our Lord is saying in John 18 as he speaks to Pontius Pilate...

John 18:36

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence [not in the earth, yet].

Most people think that our Lord is telling the Roman governor that he will not be setting up and real, literal, visible, earthly, Davidic kingdom. But notice the words "but now" in the verse...he is not saying that He won't, sometime in the future be setting up his kingdom. He is saying that "but now" (at the time he was speaking to Pilate) His kingdom was not there. He will however, in his Second coming, be setting up his kingdom.

So in conclusion, again, the issue of the kingdom of God coming "not with observation," has to do with his first coming. He is simply saying that it would not, in his first coming, be a huge, dramatic show of power and great glory (yet). That coming of Messiah would be in his second coming to the earth!

Hopefully this helps!

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Melchizedek

I understand the concept that today, in the dispensation of the grace of God, the body of Christ does not have Christ for a high priest, as he is our head.  But while I was sharing this with a brother, he mentioned something that I had not thought of and couldn’t quite answer.  He said that Christ was to be after the order of Melchizedek—a gentile high priest of the most high God—and therefore as the Christian’s high priest, because it is before the Law.  What do you think about this? 

You mention how you understand that today, a believer has no high priest in Christ, for we have him as our head...and who did you learn that from? The Apostle Paul!

We must always remember: God (through his Apostle to us, Paul) is right.

Romans 3:4

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Your friend had to go away from and outside of Paul's 13 epistles (Romans through Philemon) to come up with his erroneous theory! Therefore, what you need to do is to bring him back to focus on the fact that what Paul says is true for us today!

Romans 11:13

For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

1 Corinthians 4:15-16

For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

1 Corinthians 14:37

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

So you got your understanding of this topic from Paul; contrariwise, your friend did not! And until your friend submits his mind to God's word through Paul, he will always be in error!

2 Timothy 2:7

Consider what I [Paul] say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Your friend's failure to rightly divide God's word has led him to erroneous thinking.

2 Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And until he does that, he, like anyone who rejects Paul's testimony, will never come unto a knowledge of the truth of this topic, or any other.

2 Timothy 3:7

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

But since you know the principle of right division, and since you understand Paul's authority from God in your life, you are ready to truly understand the role that Melchizedek's priesthood serves in scripture.

And here it is...

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Your friend does what most people do when talking about the Priesthood of our Lord, and its application to our present dispensation of grace. To try to strengthen their argument for that application today under grace, they leave Paul and then go back before the Law of Moses to Melchizedek in Genesis and use that mention of him to claim that it should apply to us today also.  (They also do this with the issue of tithing. But just like the issue of Melchizedek, our Apostle never mentions tithing as a form of giving for us today when talking about how to give.).

The problem with your friend's thinking and way of approaching this topic is that he is choosing to deny the authority of our Apostle Paul in this matter or never has been taught that he must. We must always first examine what Paul has to say—as well as what he does not say about a particular subject before coming to a conclusion about it; especially, concerning whether something actually applies to us today. And the problem with what your friend deduces is the following:

Our Apostle Paul never refers to Melchizedek, nor does he ever mention that Christ is any type of priest to or for us today in any of his 13 epistles. Not even once! So that fact alone shows that here in our present dispensation of grace, our Lord is known as the head of the church, the Body of Christ and not our high priest! If your friend is to be believed, why did not our Apostle Paul mention this issue of the Melchizedek's priesthood in any of his 13 epistles? Ask him that. That is a huge deal!

Our Apostle did preach Christ, but remember it was according to the revelation of the mystery.

Romans 16:25

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

He did not present our Lord to us the same way that the Hebrew Scriptures did; that is, according to prophecy—those things made known out of the mouth of all God's holy prophets since the world began; that being, his earthly ministry.

Luke 1:68-70

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

Acts 3:20-21

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Paul says that we do not know him that way!

2 Corinthians 5:16

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh [in his earthly ministry], yet now henceforth know we him no more…  

[… “no more” according to his earthly ministry, but now, according to His heavenly ministry, as given to Paul].

And that includes our Lord’s fulfillment of Melchizedek's priesthood. Every reference to Melchizedek is found in the Prophetic books (that which was spoken by the holy prophet’s) of Genesis, Psalms and Hebrews and not once in our Apostle's 13 mystery epistles (that which was kept secret until revealed to Paul). And therefore it is Christ according to [after] the flesh, pertaining to this earth and—what we will also see—pertaining to his covenant with Israel. And he has no such covenant relationship with us gentiles today!

Jeremiah 31:31

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Romans 9:4

Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

Ephesians 2:11-12

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

It was a prophesied (revealed) priesthood in the word...Genesis, Psalms, Hebrews. But no where in the Old Testament does God reveal our Lord as the head of the church which is his body.

Another thing to also remember is the role of a priest.  The role of all priests in scripture is to teach God's Law(s)—a performance-based acceptance system!

2 Chronicles15:3

Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

Malachi 2:7

For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Therefore whether it was Israel's priests, Melchizedek, Roman Catholicism, or any other religion, the role of a priest is to teach people to do (perform) something to be right in the eyes of whatever "higher power" they worship. That is not how our Apostle Paul preaches our Lord today.

Romans 6:14

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

And it's clear from scripture that God was making his word known in that manner even before the Law of Moses!

Genesis 26:5

Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Even before the Law of Moses, in the days of Abraham and Melchizedek, God was making his law(s) known to men that would hear it!

The Law of Moses was simply a written testimony of God's will, but his actual will was being communicated from the beginning, and that included blood sacrifices! It was that system that Melchizedek as a high priest was making known to man, and it is that system that our Apostle Paul says is not how God deals with us today!

Even before the actual Law of Moses as Melchizedek, is the fact is that he is still in the prophetic books before Paul and therefore, although he is before the Law of Moses, he still taught a performance-based acceptance system—something that is not required today in the present dispensation of grace! Men in that day still had to offer a blood sacrifice to be right with God, and if they did not, they would not be accepted!

In fact, unlike the priests in scripture who were supposed to teach God's law(s) to people, today, in the dispensation of grace, we are commanded not to teach people that they are under the Law!

1 Timothy 1:7

Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

Lastly, like I mentioned earlier, the Melchizedek's priesthood is associated with Israel's new covenant, and you and I today in the body of Christ have no covenant relationship with God.  Our relationship with him is based upon pure grace! God made covenants with Israel only.

Hebrews 7:11-12

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Part of God's new covenant promise with the nation of Israel (not with us today) was a promise of a new priesthood! So the new Melchizedek's priesthood of our Lord is associated with Israel's new covenant, and not with our dispensation of pure grace!

So to use Melchizedek's priesthood in any way to apply it to Paul's preaching of our Lord is error today!

Hopefully this helps!

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Repentance

What does this mean in Genesis 6:6  where it says it repented the LORD, and in verse 7, it repenteth me?

Great question!

Genesis 6:5-7

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

This is the very verse that I take people to when showing them that the bible definition of "repentance" is not being sorry for your "sins." As you can see, the first bible mention of the word(s) "repented," and "repenteth" both are in reference to God, and God does not sin! In fact, many of the references to repenting in the bible have to do with God and not man. So obviously the issue of "sin" is not the issue first and foremost when it comes to repentance. So what does it mean? Well, let's look at the context.

Simply put, the word "repented" is the past tense of the word "repent." In other words, He had this "repentant" attitude since the fall of man hundreds of years earlier. And the word "repenteth" is the future tense, as in, God constantly and continually "repents" of His decision of creating mankind...which means that He had genuine sorrow because His creature had fallen into this constant sinful pattern. It has the exact same sense of what our Apostle Paul felt about Israel.

Romans 9:1-5

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Like I said before, repentance, although it is used by Christendom today as being sorry "for your sins," is not used in the bible that way, but has more to do with being "sorrowful." God was full of sorrow in Genesis 6 because his perfect creation mankind had fallen and was now evil and rebellious. Another aspect of repentance has to do with "changing directions," not only in your mind, but in your actions. And that change of action has to do with righting the wrong!

Genesis 6:5-7

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Notice that, in the context, God is revealing how he felt in "at his heart" about mankind's wickedness. He was actually "hurting" as he watched man, whom he had originally created in his own image and likeness, and to love him and labour with him in his purpose for the earth, actually turn against him and go continually in evil. Therefore, God also seeks vengeance on mankind because of how we were rebelling against him and hurting him. And that is what repentance in this context is all about.

The Hebrew word for both "repented" and "repenteth" is the same word, "nacham." It literally means "to sigh or breath out heavily," as well as to "seek vengeance". So if you put those two things together you can see why it is used to describe the Lord here. He was "sighing" (godly sorrow...we'll see more later) in His heart because of mankind's sin and it also moved him to "seek vengeance," which he mentions in the text.

Interestingly enough, our Apostle Paul mentions something similar in 2 Corinthians 7, when dealing with our carnal brethren the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 7:9-11

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

As you can see here, true repentance has to do with "godly sorrow" inside one's soul—one that is followed by actions that entail "righting what went wrong". That is what our Apostle Paul commends our brethren the carnal Corinthians for, and that is what God Himself is doing way back in Genesis 6 (and the way it is in every reference to ‘repentance’ in scripture).

Hopefully this helps!

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Cracking Hell open

You’ve  indicated that the book of Zachariah said that when Jesus returns he will cleave to the Mount of Olives and, as a result, there will be a 40-mile-long opening that will go to the center of the earth. And, the lost souls will be placed in the Hell portion of the center of the earth.  I assume this will be during the thousand-year reign of Christ.

What are the biblical references to the 40-mile-long opening and the placing of lost souls in the Hell portion of the center of the earth?

The context of the passage in Zechariah 14 is dealing with the city of Jerusalem, and the physical effect that the Lord's return will have on it. His return to Mount of Olives will cleave the mountain, but also it will trigger a tremendous earthquake, and will create a great valley in the midst of the city of Jerusalem where his enemies have gathered (also, called the "valley of Jehoshaphat" and the "valley of decision" in the bible)! The geography of the city is approximately 40 square miles, that's why I said that it will be 40 miles long.

Zechariah 14:1-5

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains;  for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Notice how the prophet makes the city of Jerusalem, and the Lord's return from the east of the city—the Mount of Olives—the issue. The earthquake in the days of Uzziah can be studied out more in the book of Amos. In short, that earthquake is a result of the Lord's anger against Israel and those gentiles around her who also rebel against Him. But it will also open a way for the little flock of believers to "flee," as well.

Notice that the passage in Zechariah 14 says that they shall "flee" to the valley of the mountain, and that the mountain will be "removed." This is also what the Lord says to his disciples during his earthly ministry.

The members of the little flock that are still left in Jerusalem at that time will have the opportunity to "get out" at the last minute (like Lot and his family in Genesis as the Lord is pouring out his wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah...which is all a type of this great day).

Luke 21:20-23

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

Those members of the little flock who are fleeing the city may even actually tell the mountains to "move," so that they may escape (their normal path out of the city gates is blocked by the gentile armies led by the Antichrist) and the Lord says that it will! How? By him touching the mountain, as written in Zechariah 14.

Mark 11:23

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

That's why he goes on to tell them that when all this is going on, he will be there...

Luke 21:27-28,

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

So the Lord's return will affect everyone in and around the city of Jerusalem—especially, in its 40-square-mile radius: some for the good, and others for the worse!

Look at how Isaiah describes it to Israel (aka, Ariel)…

Isaiah 29:1-6

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Look at how John describes it to Israel…

Revelation 11:13-15; 16:18-20

And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Here again is this great earthquake in the city of Jerusalem when the Lord returns to set up his kingdom.

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Regarding the lost souls that will be placed in the hell-portion of the center of the earth, there will be a shaft created when the Lord returns that goes right down into hell.

Moses and Micah tell Israel that when the Lord returns, he will burn a path thru the earth's crust all the way down to the center of the earth where hell is...

Deuteronomy 32:21-23

They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.

Micah 1:3-4

For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.  And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft [from the earthquake], as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

This will happen at his return and will be here throughout his reign.

Look at what Zechariah says regarding what will happen in the Kingdom...

Zechariah 14:16-21

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

Here, in the kingdom, the gentiles will come up during the Feast Days according to the Law and sacrifice!

But, where does the ‘shaft down to hell’ come into play?

Look at Isaiah's commentary on the same thing...

Isaiah 66:22-24

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Notice that part of the worship of the Nations is that when they come up to Jerusalem, they will look upon the "worm" (souls in hell that look like maggots) of all the rebellious.

The Lord mentions this also...

Mark 9:43-49

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Here the Lord shows that in the kingdom, people will actually see the worms of the people in hell when they come to Jerusalem. It is the shaft that burned down to hell when He returned that will expose it to everyone!

All this happens at Christ’s return to the Mount of Olives, and Hell is then opened for all to see!

Hopefully this helps
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