When the Lord returns, life will continue on the earth much as today except that righteous spirits will be governing from the spiritual thrones in the air. In some respects the thousand-year Kingdom Age is a continuation of the Church Age. During this time the Church, the Bride of the Lamb, will be perfected.

The thousand-year Kingdom Age is the third thousand-year period, the "third day."

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea 6:2)

And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. (Luke 13:32)

At the end of the thousand years the nations, having been governed by the saints throughout the Kingdom Age, will be seduced by Satan and will revolt against the saints. Fire will come down from the heaven and consume them.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:9)

Christ now appears on His great White Throne. The earth and the heaven flee from His Presence. All the dead will be raised and stand before that throne. How this will be possible we do not know since there will no earth or sky. But we know that Enoch, Elijah, and the Lord Jesus are in the spirit realm today in their bodies, and so what is possible in the spirit realm is not known to us at this time.

The only people possessing resurrected bodies at the beginning of the White Throne judgment will be the Lord Jesus and the royal priesthood. Everyone else will stand before that throne and be judged according to his works.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

The dead great and small will be there. The great "sea" of people will be there. Those in "death" will be there. Those in Hades will be there.

Whoever is not found in the Book of Life will be put into the Lake of Fire. This is what it means to be lost.

Whoever is found in the Book of Life will be brought forward into the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus. This is what it means to be saved.

There will appear a new sky and a new earth—unbelievably greater in size and glory than anything we ever could imagine. Down from the new sky will descend the holy city, the Bride of the Lamb, the royal priesthood, the new Jerusalem.

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (Revelation 21:24)

All the saved nations of people will walk in the light of the royal priesthood. The saints will rule over the nations on the new earth for eternity.

Seeing we have opportunity to be a member of the royal priesthood and to inherit all these marvels, especially to inherit the members of the saved nations as well as the farthest reaches of the earth, let us lay aside every weight that would hinder us and fight on until at last we enter the rest of God and are made an eternal part of Christ.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7) (from The Royal Priesthood)