CONTENTS IMPORTANT PREFACE - 2021 DEDICATION - TO MY FATHER INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE - WHAT IS MAN? CHAPTER TWO - THE LIVING SOUL CHAPTER THREE - THE SPIRIT WITHIN MAN CHAPTER FOUR - IS THE SOUL IMMORTAL? CHAPTER FIVE - LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION IN THE PAULINE EPISTLES CHAPTER SIX - A WEEKEND IN HELL OR IN THE TOMB? CHAPTER SEVEN - HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION CHAPTER EIGHT - THE WRATH TO COME CHAPTER NINE - THE DAY OF JUDGMENT APPENDIX SCRIPTURE INDEX |
CHAPTER NINETHE DAY OF JUDGMENT
...AS IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MEN ONCE TO DIE BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT Hebrews 9:27 EDITORS NOTE - 2021
In 2002 I placed the following note on this chapter: NOTE: The form in which this chapter currently exists was originally completed in the fall of 1999, and has since undergone many revisions. Even so, I am painfully aware that it still falls very short of doing justice to this most important topic of the coming judgment for mankind. I hope to, in the not so distant future post a much more detailed and clear discussion of this subject. There are also points for which my current understanding is much clearer than it was when this was originally written. I ask the reader to keep this in mind. Even so the main points and outline remain unchanged. May God bless all in your search for truth. -DJH
Just recently I came across a draft of what was supposed to have become the promised revision. Unfortunately it was never finished, and even those portions of it which had underwent revision were never posted to the Harvest Herald web site.
The theme of this chapter was to prove that 'The Day of Judgment" was not a single day, but an age; and that judgment entailed much more than the pronouncement of a guilty sentence upon the wicked. Rather, the Day of Judgment is to be the age in which all of the dead will hear the truth of the gospel and be instructed in righteousness. These are all points that I still affirm to be true. However, while researching and writing the revised version of this chapter, I began to question one of its major premises; namely, that the 1000-year reign of Christ (the millennium) IS the "Day of Judgment" spoken of in scripture. Premillennialism was something that had been left over from my Baptist background and I had never questioned it. I began to waver on this position during the course of my writing, and found that the tension was not easily resolved. In fact it remains to this day. Most who believe, as I do, and as expressed in this chapter, in a coming earthly kingdom in which Christ will reign associate this coming time period with the millennium of Revelation 20. |
I strongly argue here for a literal 1000-year reign of Christ following his return, and associate that 1000-year period with the coming 'Day of Judgment'. However, some time later I came to question whether this association was entirely correct. I began to drift towards the amillennial position based upon thee following reasoning.
A careful comparison of Revelation 19 and 20, with Ezekiel 38 and 39, and the description of the wars that end the periods described in those passages (the 'Gog and Magog' war) strongly implies that these passages are all describing the same event. The logic runs as follows:
The major premise of this chapter does, however, still stand: That the coming Day of Judgment is to be associated with Jesu's earthly kingdom following his return.
A careful comparison of Revelation 19 and 20, with Ezekiel 38 and 39, and the description of the wars that end the periods described in those passages (the 'Gog and Magog' war) strongly implies that these passages are all describing the same event. The logic runs as follows:
- Ezekiel 38 and 39 are describing wars (Gog and Magog) that take place at the end of this current age.
- Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe an outcome (a great feast upon dead bodies (Ezek 39:17-19) in the same language used to describe the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19 (Rev 19:17-18)
- Ezekiel 39 and 39 are describing the 'Gog and Magog' war. (Ezek 38:1, 39:1)
- This is strong evidence that the 'Gog and Magog' war is the Battle of Armageddon.
- In Revelation 20, the Millennium, ends with the 'Gog and Magog' war. (Rev 20:7-10)
- Therefore the Millennium ends with the Battle of Armageddon.
- Therefore the Millennium does not follow this current age, but is part of it.
The major premise of this chapter does, however, still stand: That the coming Day of Judgment is to be associated with Jesu's earthly kingdom following his return.
OES a person's death seal their fate for all eternity - even if they have died in ignorance of Jesus or the saving message of the gospel? Many Christians and Bible scholars of our day believe this to be so. It is believed that all one can do for good or for bad, as well as the opportunity to obtain salvation, ends at death. After which occurs the last great judgment of mankind. This judgment is supposedly a review of how one lived their life as well as the eternal sentence; ether to everlasting life, or to eternal damnation.
Many envision 'judgment day' as a time where all who have lived throughout the ages, one by one line up before God to have their good works weighed against their sins. Others see the last judgment as a time where only the unsaved dead are raised in order to confess finally and by constraint that Jesus is Lord, after which they are cast into an eternal hellfire of torment.
We believe, according to the scriptures, that there is a great day of God's judgment coming. Such a judgment is foretold in Revelation chapter 20, the most often cited Bible passage concerning the judgment:
Many envision 'judgment day' as a time where all who have lived throughout the ages, one by one line up before God to have their good works weighed against their sins. Others see the last judgment as a time where only the unsaved dead are raised in order to confess finally and by constraint that Jesus is Lord, after which they are cast into an eternal hellfire of torment.
We believe, according to the scriptures, that there is a great day of God's judgment coming. Such a judgment is foretold in Revelation chapter 20, the most often cited Bible passage concerning the judgment:
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:11-15
SOME DISTURBING THOUGHTS
Separating the Sheep from the Goats
If the passage above were all the information the Bible had given us about 'judgment day', then perhaps I would be able to agree with the common views previously stated. However, what many may not be aware of, is that this day of judgment is spoken of in literally dozens upon dozens of scriptures. One thing which I find very troubling is that most people will never hear the many passages which clarify, and detail exactly what this judgment entails preached from the pulpits of their churches.
It is our sincere conviction that when we study all that scripture has to say about the final judgment of mankind, a very different picture of judgment day emerges than that which is commonly held. The scriptures are far from silent or ambiguous on this subject. In fact, the judgment is one of the main themes of entire Bible. But ask yourself this: When was the last time you heard a sermon preached about the last judgment? When was the last time you read a gospel tract, or a book about the last judgment? If the last judgment is such a prominent theme throughout the Bible, why then is it so rarely mentioned in modern gospel preaching?
Sadly, the reason for this is the same reason why this entire book was written. Satan's very first lie, 'thou shalt not surely die' has cast a shroud of darkness over nearly every major theme in the Bible, including the final judgment. Preachers do not preach about the last judgment, because to them it is unimportant. What they feel is important is that you get 'saved' so that you can 'go to heaven' when you die. It is our goal to roll back the curtain which Satan has used to blind us and look clearly into what the scriptures really say concerning the final judgment of mankind.
Time and again within the course of my study into the true nature of the final judgment, one very disturbing pattern continued to emerge. In studying dozens of 'orthodox' commentaries on this subject, it became very clear that most commentators and scholars at best highly misunderstand this topic, and at worst simply refuse to believe what the scriptures say concerning the true nature of the last judgment. It seems as if most have decided in their own minds what this judgment must be and then proceed through scripture twisting and explaining away anything which will not bend to their view. In what follows, I give several examples of their reasoning and ask the reader to weigh them carefully against the scriptures. We are convinced that 'orthodoxy' holds a view of the judgment which is seriously flawed. We hope to demonstrate this beyond any reasonable doubt.
I am fully convinced that the final judgment of mankind is not a time in which God commits billions to everlasting flames of torment for all eternity. We have made clear in the proceeding chapters that the doctrine of eternal torment is nowhere taught in the scriptures. But I am equally convinced that any unbiased person who examines all the scriptures pertaining to the last judgment will agree that they simply do not, and indeed CAN NOT be made to teach the popular theories of evangelical theology. Evangelical scholars present to us a judgment which is no judgment at all, but an empty show. They teach that upon death one's eternal destiny either for heaven or hell is sealed. What need then could there possibly be for a judgment?
I would ask any sincere student of God's Word; If you could be shown from the scriptures that this 'day of judgment' is not for the sentencing of the majority of humanity to eternal hellfire, but for the purpose of instructing many in righteousness so that they may find a place of repentance and salvation, wouldn't you rejoice in that truth?
Even though I'm convinced that this is exactly what the Bible does teach, to my shock and dismay, most who claim to be Christians simply refuse to hear it. They refuse to believe that their God could do anything to save anyone once they have passed on in death. To me, this is most disturbing. What is it about modern evangelicalism, and fundamentalism, that makes them want to believe that God will torment billions of men, women, and children for all eternity? Of course, those who cling to this position will accuse me of misrepresentation, claiming that they are constrained to believe the scriptures no matter how disturbing, even though they take no pleasure in the thought that countless billions will be lost. But isn't this an incredibly narrow minded view? I agree that if this is actually what the scriptures teach, then we would be compelled to believe them, but is this really so? We think not.
Consider this, even in our day of global television ministries, missionary movements, and things of the like, over two-thirds of world's population remains totally heathen. This number is not counting Catholics, all Protestant denominations, Jews, and Muslims. Over SIXTY-SIX percent of all men, women and children alive on this planet this very moment will never in their lifetime so much as hear the one name given among men whereby we must be saved. Add to this the countless billions upon billions from ages past which never knew of the true God, or of true faith. What becomes of them?
The one question which most Christians fear above all is the one which asks:
What happens to all the billions of people who never heard the gospel, or had a chance to be saved? In addition we might ask, are all the Hindus eternally lost? The Muslims, Krishna's, The Buddhists, etc, etc, etc.? Are all of these hopelessly and eternally lost?
The evangelicals and fundamentalists must ultimately concede that in their view, these people are utterly and eternally lost even though most are rarely ever bold enough to state the matter explicitly.
In reply to this I must ask:
Why would an infinitely wise God first create billions upon billions of men and women knowing fully and completely that MOST (let's just be honest about it) would never find him, and in fact BLIND them so they couldn't find him, knowing that their ultimate destiny must be eternal torment in hellfire (according to the standard evangelical interpretation)?
But even more puzzling:
Why would an infinitely wise God send his only begotten, beloved son, to suffer, be tortured, and die for such a relative FRACTION of humanity?
Are the atheists and agnostics really so wrong to reject such a proposition as contrary to reason and justice? Is this the wisdom of our God, and of our Bible? As we hope to prove, the scriptures are not the source of such an unreasonable teaching. The scriptures reveal a much grander plan than anything advanced by popular evangelical or fundamental theology - a plan which only an infinite wisdom could ever conceive or carry out. A plan which involves every man, woman, and child to whom God gave the breath of life.
However, before continuing, lest we be misunderstood or misrepresented, I want to make a few things perfectly clear . I absolutely do not believe that anyone will ever be saved apart from a saving faith in Jesus Christ. I do not believe that any Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc, will ever be saved unless they abandon those views and accept Jesus Christ as the only source of eternal life. I believe fully that those who ultimately reject God's son and his offer for eternal life will perish for eternity.
I also want to make perfectly clear that I am not a Universalist. The Bible is very clear that many will suffer the fate of eternal destruction. This is unfortunate and very sad, but it is what the word of God says. It is merely a pleasant illusion to believe that God will save everyone; even those who ultimately reject Him.
One final point I wish to stress: I do not believe that anyone gets a second chance for salvation. But what I think we really need to ask is, how many people have ever really had a firstchance? I believe that God has purposed to give to everyone, one full, completely fair opportunity to gain eternal life. The big questions are; How is this opportunity given, when is it given, and what constitutes an absolutely fair opportunity?
How many in this lifetime even hear the gospel? Have those that have heard really heard the gospel in the way Jesus and the apostles taught it? If not, could they really believe and be saved? Have they been mentally capable of comprehending the gospel? If not, was such an opportunity really fair? Did they have the ability to comprehend it but refused to? Have some outright rejected the gospel? Would some not believe even they heard it and fully comprehended it?
How do we even begin to sort out such questions? Has evangelical theology really answered these questions scripturally to anyone's satisfaction?
Behold the purpose of the day of judgment!
It is our sincere conviction that when we study all that scripture has to say about the final judgment of mankind, a very different picture of judgment day emerges than that which is commonly held. The scriptures are far from silent or ambiguous on this subject. In fact, the judgment is one of the main themes of entire Bible. But ask yourself this: When was the last time you heard a sermon preached about the last judgment? When was the last time you read a gospel tract, or a book about the last judgment? If the last judgment is such a prominent theme throughout the Bible, why then is it so rarely mentioned in modern gospel preaching?
Sadly, the reason for this is the same reason why this entire book was written. Satan's very first lie, 'thou shalt not surely die' has cast a shroud of darkness over nearly every major theme in the Bible, including the final judgment. Preachers do not preach about the last judgment, because to them it is unimportant. What they feel is important is that you get 'saved' so that you can 'go to heaven' when you die. It is our goal to roll back the curtain which Satan has used to blind us and look clearly into what the scriptures really say concerning the final judgment of mankind.
Time and again within the course of my study into the true nature of the final judgment, one very disturbing pattern continued to emerge. In studying dozens of 'orthodox' commentaries on this subject, it became very clear that most commentators and scholars at best highly misunderstand this topic, and at worst simply refuse to believe what the scriptures say concerning the true nature of the last judgment. It seems as if most have decided in their own minds what this judgment must be and then proceed through scripture twisting and explaining away anything which will not bend to their view. In what follows, I give several examples of their reasoning and ask the reader to weigh them carefully against the scriptures. We are convinced that 'orthodoxy' holds a view of the judgment which is seriously flawed. We hope to demonstrate this beyond any reasonable doubt.
I am fully convinced that the final judgment of mankind is not a time in which God commits billions to everlasting flames of torment for all eternity. We have made clear in the proceeding chapters that the doctrine of eternal torment is nowhere taught in the scriptures. But I am equally convinced that any unbiased person who examines all the scriptures pertaining to the last judgment will agree that they simply do not, and indeed CAN NOT be made to teach the popular theories of evangelical theology. Evangelical scholars present to us a judgment which is no judgment at all, but an empty show. They teach that upon death one's eternal destiny either for heaven or hell is sealed. What need then could there possibly be for a judgment?
I would ask any sincere student of God's Word; If you could be shown from the scriptures that this 'day of judgment' is not for the sentencing of the majority of humanity to eternal hellfire, but for the purpose of instructing many in righteousness so that they may find a place of repentance and salvation, wouldn't you rejoice in that truth?
Even though I'm convinced that this is exactly what the Bible does teach, to my shock and dismay, most who claim to be Christians simply refuse to hear it. They refuse to believe that their God could do anything to save anyone once they have passed on in death. To me, this is most disturbing. What is it about modern evangelicalism, and fundamentalism, that makes them want to believe that God will torment billions of men, women, and children for all eternity? Of course, those who cling to this position will accuse me of misrepresentation, claiming that they are constrained to believe the scriptures no matter how disturbing, even though they take no pleasure in the thought that countless billions will be lost. But isn't this an incredibly narrow minded view? I agree that if this is actually what the scriptures teach, then we would be compelled to believe them, but is this really so? We think not.
Consider this, even in our day of global television ministries, missionary movements, and things of the like, over two-thirds of world's population remains totally heathen. This number is not counting Catholics, all Protestant denominations, Jews, and Muslims. Over SIXTY-SIX percent of all men, women and children alive on this planet this very moment will never in their lifetime so much as hear the one name given among men whereby we must be saved. Add to this the countless billions upon billions from ages past which never knew of the true God, or of true faith. What becomes of them?
The one question which most Christians fear above all is the one which asks:
What happens to all the billions of people who never heard the gospel, or had a chance to be saved? In addition we might ask, are all the Hindus eternally lost? The Muslims, Krishna's, The Buddhists, etc, etc, etc.? Are all of these hopelessly and eternally lost?
The evangelicals and fundamentalists must ultimately concede that in their view, these people are utterly and eternally lost even though most are rarely ever bold enough to state the matter explicitly.
In reply to this I must ask:
Why would an infinitely wise God first create billions upon billions of men and women knowing fully and completely that MOST (let's just be honest about it) would never find him, and in fact BLIND them so they couldn't find him, knowing that their ultimate destiny must be eternal torment in hellfire (according to the standard evangelical interpretation)?
But even more puzzling:
Why would an infinitely wise God send his only begotten, beloved son, to suffer, be tortured, and die for such a relative FRACTION of humanity?
Are the atheists and agnostics really so wrong to reject such a proposition as contrary to reason and justice? Is this the wisdom of our God, and of our Bible? As we hope to prove, the scriptures are not the source of such an unreasonable teaching. The scriptures reveal a much grander plan than anything advanced by popular evangelical or fundamental theology - a plan which only an infinite wisdom could ever conceive or carry out. A plan which involves every man, woman, and child to whom God gave the breath of life.
However, before continuing, lest we be misunderstood or misrepresented, I want to make a few things perfectly clear . I absolutely do not believe that anyone will ever be saved apart from a saving faith in Jesus Christ. I do not believe that any Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc, will ever be saved unless they abandon those views and accept Jesus Christ as the only source of eternal life. I believe fully that those who ultimately reject God's son and his offer for eternal life will perish for eternity.
I also want to make perfectly clear that I am not a Universalist. The Bible is very clear that many will suffer the fate of eternal destruction. This is unfortunate and very sad, but it is what the word of God says. It is merely a pleasant illusion to believe that God will save everyone; even those who ultimately reject Him.
One final point I wish to stress: I do not believe that anyone gets a second chance for salvation. But what I think we really need to ask is, how many people have ever really had a firstchance? I believe that God has purposed to give to everyone, one full, completely fair opportunity to gain eternal life. The big questions are; How is this opportunity given, when is it given, and what constitutes an absolutely fair opportunity?
How many in this lifetime even hear the gospel? Have those that have heard really heard the gospel in the way Jesus and the apostles taught it? If not, could they really believe and be saved? Have they been mentally capable of comprehending the gospel? If not, was such an opportunity really fair? Did they have the ability to comprehend it but refused to? Have some outright rejected the gospel? Would some not believe even they heard it and fully comprehended it?
How do we even begin to sort out such questions? Has evangelical theology really answered these questions scripturally to anyone's satisfaction?
Behold the purpose of the day of judgment!
THE FIRST OBJECTION
Before we continue with this study I want to address an objection which I am sure has already been raised in the minds of some. It is the belief of many that the above questions simply do not matter. They believe that the apostle Paul teaches in Romans 1 and 2 that ignorance of the Gospel is no excuse for disbelief. They believe that God has already given everyone enough light so that He is justified in sending them to an eternal hell, even though they have never heard the gospel. But is this really so?
In Romans 2:12 Paul makes the following statement:
In Romans 2:12 Paul makes the following statement:
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; Rom 2:12
This, it is thought, shows at the onset that out position is in error. We must point out that those who believe this, read this passage entirely outside its context. The passage in its entirety reads:
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Rom 2:12-16
Notice that the section which we have highlighted in red is a parenthetical statement. Considering the entire context, and temporarily removing the parenthetical statement for clarity, a completely different thought emerges:
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; ... In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
George Storrs, a gifted 19th century preacher has written an excellent commentary on this passage. We offer the following extended quote because we do not feel that we are capable of expressing these thoughts in any better way than that which he has already written:
Thus reading the text, (as we must get the sense) without the parenthesis, we see what the Apostle designed to teach. The Gentiles, to whom he preached, were not under the law, of which the Jew boasted; they were not to be judged by that law. If the Gentile sinned (using the term sin in its proper sense) his sin was not against the law, for he was not under it, but he sinned against the gospel light, now brought unto him by the preaching thereof: his sin (be it remembered) is "in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ; or, by the preaching of the gospel." "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow; and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." - Heb 4:12.
It is by the preaching of the gospel (which Paul calls, "my gospel") that "God shall judge the secrets of men;" and it is "in the day" when the gospel is preached to them that the judgment takes place on the hearers of it: "the secrets of their hearts are then laid open; their disposition towards God and his Son, the LIFE-GIVER, are manifested, and then, if they reject the proffered mercy, although never under the law, they "shall perish without law;" but not without having first rejected the message of God's love made known to them according to the promise and oath of God.
To suppose those who are said to perish without law, also perish without the knowledge of God's willingness to save them by Jesus Christ, is to envelop Gods promise and oath in thick darkness, and is a dishonor done to His government of the creatures He has made, out of all harmony with His revealed character; for, "God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Ro 5:8. Are we to admit that the same God will doom millions on millions of these same sinners, for whom Christ died, to eternal death for not believing on Him of whom they never heard? We think the Apostle to the Gentiles would characterize such preaching as "another gospel" from that which he had preached.
As to what Paul saith in parenthesis, { Ro 2:13-15}, it only shows there is intelligence in human beings to see truth when made known to them, and lays the foundation for responsibility so far as the truth is presented to their minds; but states nothing of the final doom of such as never have been blessed with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is to judge those who hear it. It is then, that men pass into the investigating judgment, which fixes their final state of life or death eternal. The light which is necessary to this end, is what Gods promise and oath to Abraham secures to "every creature" possessed of human nature, and will surely be imparted to them in some way, at some time, before they receive life eternal or are doomed to death eternal. God cannot be thwarted in his work whether we believe it or not. His promise and oath stand and will stand against all the theories and unbelief of good or bad men. He will take care to see the end is reached, however impossible it may seem to us. The means are His. Faith is ours.
'A Vindication of the Government of God over the Children of Men', by George Storrs, 1874 Read This Work In Its Entirety
We feel that this is sufficient reason to reject this initial objection to our position. We thus maintain that the entire scope and purpose of the great day of judgment is to determine the eternal fate of every person based on a full, fair opportunity for eternal life. We do not deny that many in this life have had such an opportunity and will be judged eternally on their response to that opportunity. It is however, not for us to determine who has, and who has not received a true saving knowledge of the gospel message. This indeed is the entire purpose of the judgment and this is what we seek to prove by this study.
I hope that this study brings comfort to some who fear that their loved ones may have been lost because they died without a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you find hope in God's promise that no one will perish eternally without a full, fair, opportunity for eternal life.
But even more I pray that this study brings glory and honor to God; the author and architect of such a wondrous hope. We can only say with the apostle:
I hope that this study brings comfort to some who fear that their loved ones may have been lost because they died without a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you find hope in God's promise that no one will perish eternally without a full, fair, opportunity for eternal life.
But even more I pray that this study brings glory and honor to God; the author and architect of such a wondrous hope. We can only say with the apostle:
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
SHEEP AND GOATS
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Matt 25:31-46
This passage from Matthew's Gospel, commonly referred to as 'the parable of the sheep and the goats' has been a battleground of interpretation among fundamental and evangelical scholars. Why should we begin our study of this most important topic here? Because it will show us at the onset the determination of some to disregard what the Bible says concerning the last judgment of mankind. It also introduces us to a concept which is of key importance; that some will be saved in the last judgment.
Someone might wonder why this concept even needs to be stressed. After all, doesn't everyone believe that some are saved in the last judgment of mankind? Shockingly the answer is no. In fact, the majority of evangelical scholars in our day teach exactly the opposite - that no one will be saved in the last judgment.
To some this might seem incredibly confusing. Someone might ask, if all are lost in the last judgment, then how can anyone be saved at all? The standard evangelical answer to this question is that when someone is 'saved' or 'born again' their eternal destiny is sealed, and thus they will not have to appear before this judgment at all. Thus, only those who remain 'unsaved' appear before the final judgment of mankind, and as such, all are lost.
We feel that this is incorrect. We feel that the Bible teaches that even though the eternal destiny of some, either to eternal life, or to eternal destruction, is fixed in this lifetime, that there will still be some, indeed MANY saved at mankind's final judgment. To most people this thought is not going to seem like any great revelation, or even anything that should be open to dispute. However, as we have stated, this is not the view of most evangelical Christians.
In the story of the 'Sheep and the Goats' we see that some are obviously saved - the 'sheep'. On this evidence it would seem clear that our evangelical friends must be mistaken. If there are people saved at the last judgment, then how can they say that none in that judgment are saved?
And here begins the great theological battle concerning mankind's last judgment. Since most evangelicals believe that none in the final judgment of mankind are saved, they simply reject that the parable of 'sheep and goats' is describing mankind's last judgment at all! As we will see, this is a principle which they tenaciously cling to throughout this study. No matter how much evidence is assembled to show that they are mistaken concerning the final judgment of mankind, it never seems to be enough to convince them that they are in error. Every sort of twisted reasoning is applied to the clearest scriptural passages to get rid of the fundamental truth that God will save many in the last judgment.
Thus they have created a ripple effect which has extended throughout their interpretation of the entire Bible. One passage is explained away, then another must be explained away to account for their twisted interpretation of the first, and so on. We are not exaggerating this matter at all, as the material in this study will show. We do however plead with the reader for patience. Doctrinal error creates a very tangled web indeed. We seek to be as thorough as possible in sorting through every argument advanced in opposition to our teaching, and every proof-text which our opponents offer in favor of theirs.
Someone might wonder why this concept even needs to be stressed. After all, doesn't everyone believe that some are saved in the last judgment of mankind? Shockingly the answer is no. In fact, the majority of evangelical scholars in our day teach exactly the opposite - that no one will be saved in the last judgment.
To some this might seem incredibly confusing. Someone might ask, if all are lost in the last judgment, then how can anyone be saved at all? The standard evangelical answer to this question is that when someone is 'saved' or 'born again' their eternal destiny is sealed, and thus they will not have to appear before this judgment at all. Thus, only those who remain 'unsaved' appear before the final judgment of mankind, and as such, all are lost.
We feel that this is incorrect. We feel that the Bible teaches that even though the eternal destiny of some, either to eternal life, or to eternal destruction, is fixed in this lifetime, that there will still be some, indeed MANY saved at mankind's final judgment. To most people this thought is not going to seem like any great revelation, or even anything that should be open to dispute. However, as we have stated, this is not the view of most evangelical Christians.
In the story of the 'Sheep and the Goats' we see that some are obviously saved - the 'sheep'. On this evidence it would seem clear that our evangelical friends must be mistaken. If there are people saved at the last judgment, then how can they say that none in that judgment are saved?
And here begins the great theological battle concerning mankind's last judgment. Since most evangelicals believe that none in the final judgment of mankind are saved, they simply reject that the parable of 'sheep and goats' is describing mankind's last judgment at all! As we will see, this is a principle which they tenaciously cling to throughout this study. No matter how much evidence is assembled to show that they are mistaken concerning the final judgment of mankind, it never seems to be enough to convince them that they are in error. Every sort of twisted reasoning is applied to the clearest scriptural passages to get rid of the fundamental truth that God will save many in the last judgment.
Thus they have created a ripple effect which has extended throughout their interpretation of the entire Bible. One passage is explained away, then another must be explained away to account for their twisted interpretation of the first, and so on. We are not exaggerating this matter at all, as the material in this study will show. We do however plead with the reader for patience. Doctrinal error creates a very tangled web indeed. We seek to be as thorough as possible in sorting through every argument advanced in opposition to our teaching, and every proof-text which our opponents offer in favor of theirs.
THE CONTROVERSY BEGINS
Actually, to those not schooled in the various evangelical doctrines, the meaning of sheep and goats parable seems clear enough. There really isn't much which would seem to cause too much difficulty. But the fact is, in evangelical and fundamentalist circles, this passage is surrounded by great controversy. So what's the problem? Why all the difficulty and controversy surrounding what appears to be a rather straightforward passage of scripture?
The answer is that the parable of the sheep and the goats cannot be easily harmonized with the teachings of most mainstream denominations; particularly those which teach that works play no part in one's salvation and never will in any age. This makes the problem very apparent. The common 'plan' of salvation given by the modern evangelical or fundamentalist 'soul-winner' is that salvation comes by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is taught that works never play any role in one's salvation. It is often said that no one is actually sent to hell for their sins or a lack of good works, but only for rejecting Jesus.
But even a cursory examination of the sheep and goats parable should be sufficient to show why then it is controversial. Here we have a judgment which seems to be clearly based on works. The only difference between the "sheep" and the "goats" is what they did and did not do. There is not one word said about anyone accepting Jesus as savior, or rejecting him. The 'goats' go into 'everlasting fire' clearly because of their lack of good works, and the 'sheep' gain everlasting life on the basis of their good works. Of course it is obvious from the passage that these works ultimately reflected the heart attitude of both the sheep and the goats toward Jesus and his 'brethren', but it is impossible to say, according to this passage that works, played absolutely no role in their judgment. What are we to make of all this?
Many who read the parable of the sheep and the goats, if they have not already been schooled in systematic evangelical theology almost always assume that Jesus is describing the last great judgment of mankind; or 'judgment day' as we might refer to it. Such an assumption is absolutely valid, and in our view, correct. However, as already mentioned, many if not all evangelical and fundamentalist scholars reject that this parable is describing the last judgment of mankind at all.
One of the main questions with which we must concern ourselves in this study is; why do these men feel justified in rejecting that the sheep and goats parable is describing the last judgment? Are there really good scriptural reasons for doing so, or are they simply trying to avoid a plain scriptural truth which is clearly at variance with their popular theories; that God will save many in the last judgment?
Unfortunately, the issues involved are much more complex than the average reader might ever imagine. While we feel the scriptures are plain and simple - unraveling years of theological tradition and preconceived ideas is not. For this reason, this will necessarily be a rather lengthy study. We must realize that IF the sheep and goats parable is describing the last great judgment of mankind, then there is something seriously wrong with today's evangelical and fundamentalist preaching. If the parable of the sheep and goats is a picture of the final judgment of mankind, and if we can offer compelling evidence to show that it is, then our evangelical friends have erred greatly. If these things be so, then they are mistaken that none will be saved in the last judgment, and they are equally mistaken that works never play any role in salvation.
The seriousness of these issues is well understood by evangelical commentators, and hence they go to great lengths in order to prove that this passage is not referring to what almost any reader assumes it does; the last great judgment of mankind.
It must be understood, that determining the true nature of judgment is of the utmost importance. Consider the words of the inspired writer of Hebrews:
The answer is that the parable of the sheep and the goats cannot be easily harmonized with the teachings of most mainstream denominations; particularly those which teach that works play no part in one's salvation and never will in any age. This makes the problem very apparent. The common 'plan' of salvation given by the modern evangelical or fundamentalist 'soul-winner' is that salvation comes by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is taught that works never play any role in one's salvation. It is often said that no one is actually sent to hell for their sins or a lack of good works, but only for rejecting Jesus.
But even a cursory examination of the sheep and goats parable should be sufficient to show why then it is controversial. Here we have a judgment which seems to be clearly based on works. The only difference between the "sheep" and the "goats" is what they did and did not do. There is not one word said about anyone accepting Jesus as savior, or rejecting him. The 'goats' go into 'everlasting fire' clearly because of their lack of good works, and the 'sheep' gain everlasting life on the basis of their good works. Of course it is obvious from the passage that these works ultimately reflected the heart attitude of both the sheep and the goats toward Jesus and his 'brethren', but it is impossible to say, according to this passage that works, played absolutely no role in their judgment. What are we to make of all this?
Many who read the parable of the sheep and the goats, if they have not already been schooled in systematic evangelical theology almost always assume that Jesus is describing the last great judgment of mankind; or 'judgment day' as we might refer to it. Such an assumption is absolutely valid, and in our view, correct. However, as already mentioned, many if not all evangelical and fundamentalist scholars reject that this parable is describing the last judgment of mankind at all.
One of the main questions with which we must concern ourselves in this study is; why do these men feel justified in rejecting that the sheep and goats parable is describing the last judgment? Are there really good scriptural reasons for doing so, or are they simply trying to avoid a plain scriptural truth which is clearly at variance with their popular theories; that God will save many in the last judgment?
Unfortunately, the issues involved are much more complex than the average reader might ever imagine. While we feel the scriptures are plain and simple - unraveling years of theological tradition and preconceived ideas is not. For this reason, this will necessarily be a rather lengthy study. We must realize that IF the sheep and goats parable is describing the last great judgment of mankind, then there is something seriously wrong with today's evangelical and fundamentalist preaching. If the parable of the sheep and goats is a picture of the final judgment of mankind, and if we can offer compelling evidence to show that it is, then our evangelical friends have erred greatly. If these things be so, then they are mistaken that none will be saved in the last judgment, and they are equally mistaken that works never play any role in salvation.
The seriousness of these issues is well understood by evangelical commentators, and hence they go to great lengths in order to prove that this passage is not referring to what almost any reader assumes it does; the last great judgment of mankind.
It must be understood, that determining the true nature of judgment is of the utmost importance. Consider the words of the inspired writer of Hebrews:
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Heb. 6:12
The doctrine of the judgment was to be absolutely fundamental and well understood. The apostle urges that it's time to move on and stop rehashing these things over and over. I know that to many my own views on the judgment will simply amount to another 'voice in the crowd' among those who simply cannot agree. Ultimately the real question is; Is the Bible really this hard to understand? Is the same spirit leading all these scholars to all these different interpretations? Maybe it's time that we re-examine our motives behind why we believe what we do.
Keeping these things in mind, let us carefully examine the what the scriptures say about the day of judgment, simply believing whatever God may teach us.
Keeping these things in mind, let us carefully examine the what the scriptures say about the day of judgment, simply believing whatever God may teach us.
TIMING OF THE
SHEEP AND GOATS JUDGMENT
SHEEP AND GOATS JUDGMENT
I believe that the key to understanding the parable of the sheep and the goats lies in discovering its timing. Evangelical scholars readily admit that Revelation 20, which we quoted at the beginning of this chapter, is a description of mankind's last judgment. They do not admit or allow that the Sheep and Goats judgment from Matthew 25 is also a description of this judgment. But if we can show from scripture that the judgment of Matthew 25 takes place at the same time, and in the same context as that in Revelation 20, then we have proof that they are indeed describing the same event. If this can be shown, then we all need to do some serious thinking about how this impacts the rest of what we believe.
First of all, there are only so many judgments recorded in the Bible, especially those of the magnitude talked about in Matthew 25. It's impossible for me to believe that Jesus foretold such a monumental event, (note: ' When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His Glory, etc...' clearly an event of great magnitude) and have it nowhere else corroborated in scripture. Did the Bible neglect to talk about this glorious throne and judgment elsewhere? If so, wouldn't that seem a bit odd? What we want to know is, is Revelation 20 such a corroborative passage of scripture?
When we speak of 'timing', we mean that we must attempt to ascertain from the text, when the judgment of Matthew 25 takes place in the prophesied series of end-time events. We can then compare such timing with other passages of scripture and determine if this passage is indeed describing that last great 'judgment day' for mankind, or if this is a common error as in the evangelical view. We can also then determine if other passages also speak of this glorious throne and the gathering of all for judgment within the same time frame mentioned here in Matthew 25. We then bring all the information available together and form a harmonious view of the judgment based upon the entire counsel of God's word.
We want the reader to first understand that the common mental image some have of the last judgment is not the picture given in the Bible. We must understand that the Bible often gives us descriptions in symbolical, figurative, or poetic language. Such language captures our imagination and impresses these great truths upon our minds. But to take them literally would lead us to believe many silly and indeed impossible things.
We must rid ourselves of the idea that 'judgment day' is one literal 24 hour day where all who have lived line up single file before God's throne. While some of the language in the Bible may seem to lead us toward such a belief, it will be clearly shown that these are symbolical images which were never to be taken literally.
For example, the sheep and goats parable is just that - A PARABLE. A parable is given to illustrate and represent a truth, but not to give an exact representation of what will happen. For example, Jesus is not going to separate literalsheep and literal goats. Nor should we think of one long line of individuals where some are gathered literally to the right and others to the left. What we can discern is that there is obviously going to be a great time of future judgment in which the righteous are ultimately separated from the wicked, and the eternal destiny of each is sealed.
So when we examine the judgment described in the parable of the sheep and the goats, what great principles or truths can we establish as fact?
First of all, there are only so many judgments recorded in the Bible, especially those of the magnitude talked about in Matthew 25. It's impossible for me to believe that Jesus foretold such a monumental event, (note: ' When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His Glory, etc...' clearly an event of great magnitude) and have it nowhere else corroborated in scripture. Did the Bible neglect to talk about this glorious throne and judgment elsewhere? If so, wouldn't that seem a bit odd? What we want to know is, is Revelation 20 such a corroborative passage of scripture?
When we speak of 'timing', we mean that we must attempt to ascertain from the text, when the judgment of Matthew 25 takes place in the prophesied series of end-time events. We can then compare such timing with other passages of scripture and determine if this passage is indeed describing that last great 'judgment day' for mankind, or if this is a common error as in the evangelical view. We can also then determine if other passages also speak of this glorious throne and the gathering of all for judgment within the same time frame mentioned here in Matthew 25. We then bring all the information available together and form a harmonious view of the judgment based upon the entire counsel of God's word.
We want the reader to first understand that the common mental image some have of the last judgment is not the picture given in the Bible. We must understand that the Bible often gives us descriptions in symbolical, figurative, or poetic language. Such language captures our imagination and impresses these great truths upon our minds. But to take them literally would lead us to believe many silly and indeed impossible things.
We must rid ourselves of the idea that 'judgment day' is one literal 24 hour day where all who have lived line up single file before God's throne. While some of the language in the Bible may seem to lead us toward such a belief, it will be clearly shown that these are symbolical images which were never to be taken literally.
For example, the sheep and goats parable is just that - A PARABLE. A parable is given to illustrate and represent a truth, but not to give an exact representation of what will happen. For example, Jesus is not going to separate literalsheep and literal goats. Nor should we think of one long line of individuals where some are gathered literally to the right and others to the left. What we can discern is that there is obviously going to be a great time of future judgment in which the righteous are ultimately separated from the wicked, and the eternal destiny of each is sealed.
So when we examine the judgment described in the parable of the sheep and the goats, what great principles or truths can we establish as fact?
- Whenever this judgment occurs, it takes place AFTER the second coming of Jesus. Note:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory
We are given a marker of timing. Jesus must first return, THEN sit down on His glorious throne, THEN this judgment ensues. This fact is of supreme importance.
- The passage denotes a great time of separating which is to include ALL nations.
before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats
- There is a clearly defined criteria for judgment, it it is clearly works based dealing with Christ's "brethren":
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me... Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me
- The ultimate outcome is "eternal life" for the righteous, and everlasting fire for the wicked; that is, this is a judgment which determines final and irrevocable destiny of all.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment (cf. 2 Thes 1:9): but the righteous into life eternal
These are facts determined from simply reading the passage. They do not involve any 'interpretation' whatsoever. Whatever conclusions we come to regarding the nature of this judgment, we must deal with these facts.
We know Jesus is going to return. Most evangelicals, and with this we agree with them, believe that Jesus will reign on earth for 1000 years following his return. The big question is, does this sheep and goats judgment take place before this 1000 year reign, or does it take place after this 1000 year reign. Evangelicals immediately see what is implied if they allow that this judgment takes place after the 1000 year reign - that it would then be the same judgment as that described in Revelation 20; mankind's final judgment.
In the battle to determine whether or not the judgment of the sheep and the goats comes before or after the 1000 year reign of Christ, a third option seems to have totally escaped the notice of nearly every commentator and expositor; namely that the the judgment upon sheep and goats, takes place DURING the 1000 year reign of Christ.
Surely all of this must seem most confusing to someone who is not familiar with these issues. In reality, there are only four options available to us regarding the timing of the sheep and goats judgment. They can be illustrated as follows:
Option 1: Sheep and Goats Judgment Prior to the 1000 Year Reign
We know Jesus is going to return. Most evangelicals, and with this we agree with them, believe that Jesus will reign on earth for 1000 years following his return. The big question is, does this sheep and goats judgment take place before this 1000 year reign, or does it take place after this 1000 year reign. Evangelicals immediately see what is implied if they allow that this judgment takes place after the 1000 year reign - that it would then be the same judgment as that described in Revelation 20; mankind's final judgment.
In the battle to determine whether or not the judgment of the sheep and the goats comes before or after the 1000 year reign of Christ, a third option seems to have totally escaped the notice of nearly every commentator and expositor; namely that the the judgment upon sheep and goats, takes place DURING the 1000 year reign of Christ.
Surely all of this must seem most confusing to someone who is not familiar with these issues. In reality, there are only four options available to us regarding the timing of the sheep and goats judgment. They can be illustrated as follows:
Option 1: Sheep and Goats Judgment Prior to the 1000 Year Reign
|
CURRENT |
SECOND COMING |
SHEEP AND GOATS JUDGMENT |
1000 YEAR REIGN |
GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT |
Option 2: Sheep and Goats Judgment follows, and is the same as the Great White Throne Judgment:
|
CURRENT |
SECOND COMING |
1000 YEAR REIGN |
SHEEP AND GOATS JUDGMENT GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT |
Option 3: Sheep and Goats Judgment During the 1000 year reign, but before the Great White Throne Judgment:
|
CURRENT |
SECOND COMING |
1000 YEAR REIGN -Which is the- SHEEP AND GOATS JUDGMENT |
GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT |
Option 4: Sheep and Goats Judgment, Great White Throne Judgment, and 1000 Year Reign are all the Same Period.
|
CURRENT |
SECOND COMING |
1000 YEAR REIGN -Which is the- SHEEP AND GOATS JUDGMENT -Which is the- GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT |
These are our only four options with regard to the timing of the sheep and goats judgment. We labor this point because it can not be overstated how much our view of which timing is correct will ultimately effect what the scriptures reveal about the way God deals with mankind in judgment. These issues will become clear as we proceed with this study. Is it our sincere conviction that when ALL the evidence is laid bare and examined, only the fourth option will prove viable. We are also very much aware that if this be true, then it is equally true that the current evangelical and fundamentalist views concerning the nature of mankind's judgment are seriously in error. Our challenge to evangelical theology is this: We believe that Jesus' description of the judgment upon sheep and goats in Matthew 25 is the same as that described in Revelation 20; mankind's final judgment. We thus propose, according to the scriptures in Matthew 25, that not all in the final judgment are lost, and that, much to the contrary, the scripture are clear that many will be saved in that judgment.
Before examining this judgment in detail, we first examine the reasons why most evangelical scholars today take the first option shown above. We will then consider the objections which they raise concerning the fourth option: that which we hold to be the only true and correct one. Once we have laid a firm foundation for our beliefs regarding the timing of this judgment, we will then proceed to discuss the details involved.
A JUDGMENT UPON NATIONS?
The parable of the sheep and the goats has been enshrouded in an almost impenetrable and quite unnecessary confusion. The simplest and most obvious meaning of the passage is that Jesus is describing for his followers the one last great judgment upon all mankind, and the eternal destiny of both the saved and the unsaved. This also leads us to the obvious conclusion that there will be some saved in mankind's final judgment. This is, far and away, the overwhelming opinion of those who simply read this passage without having first been indoctrinated by modern evangelical and fundamental systems of interpretation.
Yet evangelical scholars utterly reject this most obvious of meanings. Why? Because it overthrows their entire system of scriptural interpretation. For if, in the final judgment some are actually saved, and this said to be on the basis of works, then there is obviously something seriously wrong with the teaching that works play no part in ones salvation and never will in any age. Also, oddly enough, some have concluded that the judgment upon the sheep and goats cannot be the final judgment of mankind, because in their view, NONE are saved in that final judgment. Their reasoning goes as follows:
First Premise: The final judgment of mankind is only for the 'unsaved', and therefore none in that judgment are saved.
Second Premise: Some are said to be saved in the sheep and goats judgment.
Conclusion: The two judgments are not the same
This argument however involves a complete logical fallacy in that the first premise rests entirely upon an assumption. It is their own circular theological system, not the Word of God, which leads them to the conclusion that none in final judgment are saved. No one doubts that the final judgment upon mankind is described in Revelation Chapter 20. However, as should be obvious to any careful and honest reader, there is nothing in Revelation 20 which would lead us to the conclusion that all in that judgment are lost. We will consider Revelation 20 in detail a bit later.
An interpretation such as ours which makes the sheep and goats judgment synonymous with the final judgment of mankind is fatal to the modern evangelical school of interpretation. Therefore, they must reject it and seek to give the parable of the sheep and the goats some alternate meaning. One such alternate meaning is supplied in what they generally refer to as an altogether separate 'judgment upon nations'.
The theory advanced is as follows: When Jesus returns to the earth, there will be some who will have escaped the wrath of the antichrist, the wrath of God poured out at that time, and the battle of Armageddon. It is reasoned that these will still be in need of 'judgment' in order to determine their worthiness of entering into the millennial age of blessing when Christ returns. (We would tend to think that one who escaped all that would not need a judgment to determine their 'worthiness') In this they divorce Matthew 25 in its entirety from the final judgment of mankind described in Revelation 20. In doing this they place the sheep and goats judgment before the millennium, and the great white throne judgment after the millennium. We reiterate once again our position that both these judgments are the same and take place during the millennium.
While their view is certainly a novel approach to interpretation, and without going into all the minutia of why they feel such a view is valid, we must reject their entire proposition as unscriptural for the following reasons.
First, where does the Bible give any indication that such 'goats' will survive the great tribulation, the wrath of the antichrist, and the wrath of God poured out before Christ returns? This is not an imaginary problem. Note the following comment by Henry M. Morris:
Yet evangelical scholars utterly reject this most obvious of meanings. Why? Because it overthrows their entire system of scriptural interpretation. For if, in the final judgment some are actually saved, and this said to be on the basis of works, then there is obviously something seriously wrong with the teaching that works play no part in ones salvation and never will in any age. Also, oddly enough, some have concluded that the judgment upon the sheep and goats cannot be the final judgment of mankind, because in their view, NONE are saved in that final judgment. Their reasoning goes as follows:
First Premise: The final judgment of mankind is only for the 'unsaved', and therefore none in that judgment are saved.
Second Premise: Some are said to be saved in the sheep and goats judgment.
Conclusion: The two judgments are not the same
This argument however involves a complete logical fallacy in that the first premise rests entirely upon an assumption. It is their own circular theological system, not the Word of God, which leads them to the conclusion that none in final judgment are saved. No one doubts that the final judgment upon mankind is described in Revelation Chapter 20. However, as should be obvious to any careful and honest reader, there is nothing in Revelation 20 which would lead us to the conclusion that all in that judgment are lost. We will consider Revelation 20 in detail a bit later.
An interpretation such as ours which makes the sheep and goats judgment synonymous with the final judgment of mankind is fatal to the modern evangelical school of interpretation. Therefore, they must reject it and seek to give the parable of the sheep and the goats some alternate meaning. One such alternate meaning is supplied in what they generally refer to as an altogether separate 'judgment upon nations'.
The theory advanced is as follows: When Jesus returns to the earth, there will be some who will have escaped the wrath of the antichrist, the wrath of God poured out at that time, and the battle of Armageddon. It is reasoned that these will still be in need of 'judgment' in order to determine their worthiness of entering into the millennial age of blessing when Christ returns. (We would tend to think that one who escaped all that would not need a judgment to determine their 'worthiness') In this they divorce Matthew 25 in its entirety from the final judgment of mankind described in Revelation 20. In doing this they place the sheep and goats judgment before the millennium, and the great white throne judgment after the millennium. We reiterate once again our position that both these judgments are the same and take place during the millennium.
While their view is certainly a novel approach to interpretation, and without going into all the minutia of why they feel such a view is valid, we must reject their entire proposition as unscriptural for the following reasons.
First, where does the Bible give any indication that such 'goats' will survive the great tribulation, the wrath of the antichrist, and the wrath of God poured out before Christ returns? This is not an imaginary problem. Note the following comment by Henry M. Morris:
"Although multitudes will have been slain during this period -believers by the Antichrist and unbelievers by the great plagues and by Christ at Armageddon- some will survive, and these must be the ones appearing before the Lord for Judgment." Defender's Study Bible pg. 1047 emphasis mine
What Morris is actually saying is that because theirinterpretation of the sheep and goats parable demands that there be goats present, then some goats must survive the tribulation even though this seems unlikely in the extreme! It is simply an unfounded assertion to proclaim 'some willsurvive and these must be the ones appearing before the Lord for judgment'.
There are several problems with this view, not the least of which is that they have reduced what Jesus describes as a glorious, awesome event down to a judgment upon a mere remnant of 'stragglers' who somehow manage to escape the tribulation. They of course would deny this, but one cannot read the Biblical accounts of the great cataclysmic events which are prophesied to close this age, and the wrath of God which is to be poured out upon the wicked at that time, and think with any seriousness that any truly evil and wicked men destined for 'eternal punishment' would escape.
On the contrary, the Bible is quite explicit concerning the fate of the wicked at the end of the age. Notice:
There are several problems with this view, not the least of which is that they have reduced what Jesus describes as a glorious, awesome event down to a judgment upon a mere remnant of 'stragglers' who somehow manage to escape the tribulation. They of course would deny this, but one cannot read the Biblical accounts of the great cataclysmic events which are prophesied to close this age, and the wrath of God which is to be poured out upon the wicked at that time, and think with any seriousness that any truly evil and wicked men destined for 'eternal punishment' would escape.
On the contrary, the Bible is quite explicit concerning the fate of the wicked at the end of the age. Notice:
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them ALL away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt 24:38-39
Does the Bible give any indication that any, except those under the protection of God, escaped the Genesis flood? What if it were proposed that after the flood the discovery was made that some wicked had miraculously survived, and thus a separate judgment ensued to determine their fate. Such a thought is absolutely ridiculous. We point out that this is exactly what those such as Henry Morris propose concerning the events which are to close this age. It is however, according to Jesus, just as it was in the days of Noah that it shall be in the end of this age. The wicked will not escape the wrath of God which is to be poured out immediately before Christ returns. This leaves no 'goats' to be judged immediately following Christ's return. Notice again the words of the apostle Paul:
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thes 5:2-3
Once again we are given absolutely no indication that there are some wicked who miraculously live through the great tribulation. At the end of this age the wicked are destroyed in swift, unexpected destruction. If these verses mean what they so obviously say, and all the 'goats' are killed before or at Jesus' return, then there cannot be a judgment which separates sheep from goats immediately following his return.
Upon reading the comments of many evangelical scholars it seems that this problem has become widely recognized. For this reason, some now seek to equate the sheep and goats judgment with the wrath of God which destroys the wicked before the second coming. In other words, this judgment is not describing something that happens upon those wicked who escape the tribulation and the wrath of God, but instead is referring to those very events themselves.
In this they seek to equate the sheep and goats judgment with the parable of the 'wheat and the tares' from Matthew 13, and the wrath of God described in Joel 3. However, in this they have created an even bigger problem than that mentioned above. A simple examination of these passages will bear this out.
Upon reading the comments of many evangelical scholars it seems that this problem has become widely recognized. For this reason, some now seek to equate the sheep and goats judgment with the wrath of God which destroys the wicked before the second coming. In other words, this judgment is not describing something that happens upon those wicked who escape the tribulation and the wrath of God, but instead is referring to those very events themselves.
In this they seek to equate the sheep and goats judgment with the parable of the 'wheat and the tares' from Matthew 13, and the wrath of God described in Joel 3. However, in this they have created an even bigger problem than that mentioned above. A simple examination of these passages will bear this out.
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 13:13-42
Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3-11-14
It is obvious that both these passage describe in detail those cataclysmic events which are to destroy the wicked at the end of this age; that is, they are describing events which take place in the 'great tribulation' as most evangelicals would call it. The question is, can these then also be a description of the sheep and goats judgment of Matthew 25? Many reason that because all mention the separating of the just and the unjust that this is reasonable. There is however one serious, and actually fatal flaw in this argument.
Matthew chapter 13 and Joel chapter 3 are indeed parallel passages describing the same events; the cataclysmic climax of the age in which God's wrath is poured out upon the earth, and in which time all the wicked then living will perish just as they did in the days of Noah. This is why we concluded above that there can be no immediate judgment of the wicked who survive these events because the Bible is clear that none of the wicked will survive them.
While these two passages stand parallel to one another, they do not parallel those events described in Matthew 25 in the sheep and goats judgment. Why? Because the events described in Matthew 13 and Joel 3 clearly take place immediately prior to the second coming of Christ, whereas the sheep and goats judgment clearly follows the second coming of Christ..
It does not take an exegetical scholar to prove this. Both Mathew 13 and Joel chapter 3 contain references to the 'harvest'. As Jesus himself has stated 'The harvest is the end of the age- so shall it be in the end of this age' (Matthew 13). All one needs to do is turn to the book of Revelation and locate this 'harvest' which is described in detail beginning in Chapter 14 and ending in Chapter 19 with the return of Jesus. The 'harvest' represents events which immediately precede, and are concluded by the second coming. On the other hand, the sheep and goats goats explicitly follows the second coming. Note:
Matthew chapter 13 and Joel chapter 3 are indeed parallel passages describing the same events; the cataclysmic climax of the age in which God's wrath is poured out upon the earth, and in which time all the wicked then living will perish just as they did in the days of Noah. This is why we concluded above that there can be no immediate judgment of the wicked who survive these events because the Bible is clear that none of the wicked will survive them.
While these two passages stand parallel to one another, they do not parallel those events described in Matthew 25 in the sheep and goats judgment. Why? Because the events described in Matthew 13 and Joel 3 clearly take place immediately prior to the second coming of Christ, whereas the sheep and goats judgment clearly follows the second coming of Christ..
It does not take an exegetical scholar to prove this. Both Mathew 13 and Joel chapter 3 contain references to the 'harvest'. As Jesus himself has stated 'The harvest is the end of the age- so shall it be in the end of this age' (Matthew 13). All one needs to do is turn to the book of Revelation and locate this 'harvest' which is described in detail beginning in Chapter 14 and ending in Chapter 19 with the return of Jesus. The 'harvest' represents events which immediately precede, and are concluded by the second coming. On the other hand, the sheep and goats goats explicitly follows the second coming. Note:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, thenshall he sit upon the throne of his glory...
This is precisely why we stated earlier that determining the timing of this sheep and goats judgment was so important. The evangelicals and fundamentalist believe they have 'rightly divided the word of truth, but in fact they have done the exact opposite. While they have indeed 'divided' the word, we are not so sure that 'rightly' is the proper term to describe hoe they've done it.
For a more detailed account of the events of the 'harvest' please see our detailed work entitled The Furnace of Fire and the Wrath of God.
So we have seen that the attempt to make Jesus' account of the Sheep and the Goats into a description of something other than the final judgment of mankind completely fails. Having examined both theories which the evangelicals propose to explain this judgment, we feel that we can accept neither as being scriptural.
They have, however, also proposed a number of objections to our position as well. Since we feel it would be wholly unfair to voice our objections to their position while ignoring their objections to ours, we will now turn our attention to these objections, and see if any of them are valid.
For a more detailed account of the events of the 'harvest' please see our detailed work entitled The Furnace of Fire and the Wrath of God.
So we have seen that the attempt to make Jesus' account of the Sheep and the Goats into a description of something other than the final judgment of mankind completely fails. Having examined both theories which the evangelicals propose to explain this judgment, we feel that we can accept neither as being scriptural.
They have, however, also proposed a number of objections to our position as well. Since we feel it would be wholly unfair to voice our objections to their position while ignoring their objections to ours, we will now turn our attention to these objections, and see if any of them are valid.
THE REST OF THE DEAD...
REVELATION 20:5
REVELATION 20:5
By far, the loudest objection to our conviction that Jesus' story of sheep and goats refers to mankind's final judgment, is one single verse in Revelation 20, but one which we admit deserves our most careful attention. We will consider this passage in its context:
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Rev 20:1-6
As one who believes in the literal 1000 year reign of Christ upon the earth, and given our position stated above, that we believe the sheep and goats judgment, the 1000 year reign of Christ and the Great White Throne judgment all refer to the same period of time, then admittedly upon first reading, the passage shown above seems to militate against our position.
For if the dead do not come back to life for judgment for a full 1000 years following the return of Christ, as this passage seems to state, then obviously they cannot be judged either immediately at Christ's return, nor during the following 1000 years.
I have however learned one very important lesson in my study of the Bible; namely that doctrines should never be built or maintained upon a single isolated passage of scripture. True doctrines will be found throughout the entire Bible and can only be determined by a diligent and prayerful comparison of scripture with scripture. With this is mind, and before considering this passage in detail I wish to express my conviction that if there really is a 1000 year gap between the resurrections of the just and the unjust, and if we are to take this statement ('the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished') in its most strictly literal sense, then I must also confess that this is the only passage I can find which teaches such a doctrine. Worse yet, not only must it stand alone in teaching this 1000 year lapse between the resurrections of the just and the unjust, but in some cases it seems to stand in direct contradiction to passages that would seem to teach otherwise. For these reasons I plead with the reader to hear the evidence for our case which we will proceed to present.
First, it must be stated that we believe firmly that the Bible teaches two distinct resurrections. These can be seen in the following passages:
For if the dead do not come back to life for judgment for a full 1000 years following the return of Christ, as this passage seems to state, then obviously they cannot be judged either immediately at Christ's return, nor during the following 1000 years.
I have however learned one very important lesson in my study of the Bible; namely that doctrines should never be built or maintained upon a single isolated passage of scripture. True doctrines will be found throughout the entire Bible and can only be determined by a diligent and prayerful comparison of scripture with scripture. With this is mind, and before considering this passage in detail I wish to express my conviction that if there really is a 1000 year gap between the resurrections of the just and the unjust, and if we are to take this statement ('the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished') in its most strictly literal sense, then I must also confess that this is the only passage I can find which teaches such a doctrine. Worse yet, not only must it stand alone in teaching this 1000 year lapse between the resurrections of the just and the unjust, but in some cases it seems to stand in direct contradiction to passages that would seem to teach otherwise. For these reasons I plead with the reader to hear the evidence for our case which we will proceed to present.
First, it must be stated that we believe firmly that the Bible teaches two distinct resurrections. These can be seen in the following passages:
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29
And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. Acts 24:15
And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luke 14:14
So according to these passages, there is clearly a distinction made between the resurrections of the just and of the unjust. However, it must also be admitted that none of these even hint at a 1000 year gap between these resurrections as does Revelation 20:5. We do realize that just because these passages do not mention this gap, this is no proof that it does not exist. But we must also ask; Are there other scriptures which which would make such a gap highly unlikely if not impossible? We believe there are. Consider the words of the apostle Paul writing to Timothy:
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Tim 4:1
It is startling that those who accept a literal 1000 year gap between the resurrections of the just and the unjust have never taken the time to carefully consider this passage. It seems to us that Paul is simply stating that which Jesus himself spoke; that when Jesus comes he will sit upon the 'throne of his glory' and gather all nations before him for judgment (Matt 25).
Paul tells us that both the living and the dead are to be judged at the appearing of Christ and his kingdom. But how could this be true if the judgment of the dead does not take place until a full 1000 years following Christ's return? Indeed, if the 'kingdom' refers to the 1000 year reign of Christ, then how can the dead be judged 'at his kingdom' if they are not raised to life until after that time? If the dead are not to be judged for a full 1000 years after Christ returns, then we find it very puzzling that Paul would use such language and declare that the dead are to be judged 'at his appearing and kingdom'.
In addition to this passage we have a corroborative inspired prophecy in the book of Revelation which would seem to teach us the exact same thing. The 'kingdom' about which Paul wrote is established with the blast of the seventh trumpet as described in Revelation 11:5:
Paul tells us that both the living and the dead are to be judged at the appearing of Christ and his kingdom. But how could this be true if the judgment of the dead does not take place until a full 1000 years following Christ's return? Indeed, if the 'kingdom' refers to the 1000 year reign of Christ, then how can the dead be judged 'at his kingdom' if they are not raised to life until after that time? If the dead are not to be judged for a full 1000 years after Christ returns, then we find it very puzzling that Paul would use such language and declare that the dead are to be judged 'at his appearing and kingdom'.
In addition to this passage we have a corroborative inspired prophecy in the book of Revelation which would seem to teach us the exact same thing. The 'kingdom' about which Paul wrote is established with the blast of the seventh trumpet as described in Revelation 11:5:
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. Rev 11:5
But what announcement do we read immediately following this?
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. Rev 11:18
We see in this the exact language as that used by Paul; the living and the dead are to be judged at Christ's appearing and kingdom. But, once again, how could this be true if the dead aren't to be judged for a full 1000 years after this announcement and the establishment of the kingdom? According to these passages, the judgment, including the judgment of the dead, immediately follows the return of Jesus and the beginning of his Kingdom. To force a 1000 year gap into the language of these passages seems most unnatural and destroys their clear sense.
In Revelation 11 we read that four things will happen when Jesus begins to reign. First, we read that the time has come for the nations to be angry. No one doubts that this happens immediately when Christ begins to reign. We read in Revelation 19 that the kings of the earth gather in order to prevent Jesus from taking possession of the earth.
Second, we read that the time has come for rewards to be given to Christ's servants. Likewise no one doubts that is happens in short order following the beginning of Christ's reign. In fact it is with the seventh (last) trumpet blast that the faithful dead are raised incorruptible and the living faithful are caught up in the clouds to meet Christ in the air. (1 Thes 4:17)
Third, we read that the time has come for the destruction of those who are destroying the earth. Again, this happens in very short order. The wicked are completely destroyed in the 'harvest' which begins in Revelation 14 and is completed with the second coming of Christ and the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19.
But lastly, we read that the time has come for the dead to be judged. But how could this possibly be true if this judgment was still 1000 years into the future? The angel here has announced those things which are immediately connected with the timing of the establishment of the kingdom. The judgment of the dead is listed among them. How has this escaped the notice of those who believe that the judgment follows the establishment of the kingdom by a full 1000 years?
But the evidence continues to mount.
Most will agree that the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are tightly linked. Consider carefully the following prophecy from Daniel 7:
In Revelation 11 we read that four things will happen when Jesus begins to reign. First, we read that the time has come for the nations to be angry. No one doubts that this happens immediately when Christ begins to reign. We read in Revelation 19 that the kings of the earth gather in order to prevent Jesus from taking possession of the earth.
Second, we read that the time has come for rewards to be given to Christ's servants. Likewise no one doubts that is happens in short order following the beginning of Christ's reign. In fact it is with the seventh (last) trumpet blast that the faithful dead are raised incorruptible and the living faithful are caught up in the clouds to meet Christ in the air. (1 Thes 4:17)
Third, we read that the time has come for the destruction of those who are destroying the earth. Again, this happens in very short order. The wicked are completely destroyed in the 'harvest' which begins in Revelation 14 and is completed with the second coming of Christ and the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19.
But lastly, we read that the time has come for the dead to be judged. But how could this possibly be true if this judgment was still 1000 years into the future? The angel here has announced those things which are immediately connected with the timing of the establishment of the kingdom. The judgment of the dead is listed among them. How has this escaped the notice of those who believe that the judgment follows the establishment of the kingdom by a full 1000 years?
But the evidence continues to mount.
Most will agree that the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are tightly linked. Consider carefully the following prophecy from Daniel 7:
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. And I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Dan 7:8-10
Daniel is seeing a vision of the sequence of end-time events. Most expositors would agree that the 'little horn' at the beginning of this passage is a reference to the 'antichrist'. It is this antichrist whom Jesus will destroy with 'the brightness of his coming' at his return(2 Thes 2:8). Therefore in this we have a description of the coming of Jesus to destroy the antichrist. But notice carefully the sequence events:
And I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him.
But what then happens immediately following?
...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Jesus comes, destroys the antichrist (the little horn), then immediately, the judgment is set and the books are opened. These words are a plain cross-reference to the great white throne judgment described in Revelation 20. It is an absolute fallacy to try and sever these verses and pretend that they do not refer to each other. Note that it says in Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. Rev 20:12
Daniel gives us a specific sequence of events. The 'little horn' (antichrist) wars against the saints, he is then destroyed. Thousands are gathered before the throne, the judgment is set, the books are opened, and the judgment follows. There is not even a hint that there would be a 1000 year gap between the destruction of the antichrist (which happens at the second coming) and the opening of the books for the judgment to begin. How has this also escaped the notice of so many?
But we must continue our investigation. We must make absolutely sure that we are reading our Bible correctly. The angel goes on to give Daniel the interpretation of this prophecy:
But we must continue our investigation. We must make absolutely sure that we are reading our Bible correctly. The angel goes on to give Daniel the interpretation of this prophecy:
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Dan 7:21-27
This deserves our most careful attention. When Jesus returns 'judgment' is given to the saints. It is at the coming of Christ when he destroys the antichrist - then 'the judgment shall sit'. So in all these passages we see the same sequence of events emerging. The judgment immediately begins upon the return of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom. Notice also that there is no way to fall into the error of believing that the judgment referred to here in Daniel 7 is not the final judgment of mankind described in Revelation 20; the Great White Throne Judgment. It is clearly the judgment in which the 'the books are opened'. There is only one other place in scripture where such a statement is made and that is in the final judgment of mankind described in Revelation 20.
According to all these passages the judgment, not just any judgment, but the one in which 'the books are opened', the final judgment of mankind, begins immediately following the second coming of Christ.
We must ask, is this not what Jesus himself had said in his story about the sheep and goats to which we have given so much attention?
According to all these passages the judgment, not just any judgment, but the one in which 'the books are opened', the final judgment of mankind, begins immediately following the second coming of Christ.
We must ask, is this not what Jesus himself had said in his story about the sheep and goats to which we have given so much attention?
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats
Can we not see that Jesus was simply quoting the very language of Daniels prophecy? When Christ returns in his glory, and sits upon his throne then THE judgment begins. Not some abstract judgment upon nations, or upon merely those who miraculously survive the outpouring of God's wrath. No, THE final judgment in which the eternal destiny of every man will be decided, begins when Christ establishes his kingdom upon earth.
We notice further in Daniel's prophecy that it is not only Jesus, but the saints who possess the kingdom and to whom 'judgment' was given. Compare the above with these remarkable words of Jesus to the apostles:
We notice further in Daniel's prophecy that it is not only Jesus, but the saints who possess the kingdom and to whom 'judgment' was given. Compare the above with these remarkable words of Jesus to the apostles:
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matt 19:28
We cannot help but be struck by the similarity between this language and that of Matthew 25 ('when the Son of Man shall come... then shall He sit upon the throne of His Glory...'). Jesus sits upon the throne of his glory at his return. We are here informed that those who were faithful will also be given thrones and the power to judge at this same time. Is this not exactly what we have read in those passages from Daniel shown above? Is it not clear that Jesus is referring to this same language? Once again, the judgment begins upon the establishment of the kingdom at Jesus' return. We make no apology for stressing the fact that it is THE judgment, the one in which 'the books are opened' (Dan 7:10, Rev 20:12) which commences upon Christ's return, and not 1000 years following it.
The words of Paul, Daniel, Jesus, and John all link together to form one beautifully harmonious picture of the second coming immediately followed by the judgment of mankind. We must ask again how it is that all these passages have been overlooked? Why is there never any effort made to reconcile these clear passages with that which is said in Revelation 20:5: 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'?
So what then do these words mean? They seem so foreign and contrary to these other passages which state that the dead are to be judged at Christ's appearing and kingdom. It seems most unnatural to try and force a 1000 year gap into passages which seem to make clear that no such gap exists.
We have a very serious choice to make. What are we to do when we are confronted by a single passage of scripture such as this, which would seem to overthrow the united testimony of many others?
First we must admit to ourselves that we are frail fallible creatures. If we seek to gain the proper understanding of God's word we must ask Him for wisdom. We must prayerfully study the Bible and meditate on its words. As it stands, the Bible is not always the simplest book to understand: Its entire language and cultural setting is far removed from our own. Additionally, the book of Revelation in particular seems to many to be an endless riddle which is beyond their comprehension. The opinions about its meaning are as numerous as those who have undertaken the task of trying to explain it.
Evangelicals would like us to believe that Revelation 20:5 overthrows the entire 'theory' that the judgment immediately follows the return of Christ, or that the sheep and goats and Great White Throne judgments could be one and the same. But on the basis of the above evidence, is this really merely a theory? Does Revelation 20:5 really overturn a mere 'manmade theory', or do others seek to use it to overthrow the united testimony of many other clear scriptures? As sincere students of God's word, we simply cannot pretend this problem does not exist. We cannot close our eyes, and sit safe in our theology hoping that someone else will work out these problems for us. No, it is our responsibility to 'prove all things' and 'hold fast to that which is good'. (1 Thes 5:21)
First, it should be made clear that Revelation 20:5 has a rather dubious history as far as the Greek text of the Bible is concerned. The phrase in question, 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished' is not contained at all in two of our oldest Greek manuscripts, the Sinaitic, and the Alexandrine. It is also completely absent from one of our oldest versions of the Bible, the Syriac. It has also been said that out of 200 of our oldest manuscripts, the phrase is absent from 70 of them.
Addmittedly, the great majority of known Greek manuscripts contain this phrase. However, out of those manuscripts, there are no less than eight different variant readings of this very short phrase. This evidence would seem to indicate one of two things. Either this phrase was not in the original manuscript of the book of Revelation at all, or if it was, proved so problematic to some that it was eventually removed or constantly adjusted. If this evidence proves anything it should tell us that others may have seen a difficulty in these words which many modern and careless readers ever take time to contemplate.
While there is no shortage of evidence in favor of deciding that this disputed phrase was not originally part of God's word, I do not feel authorized to say that it ought to be excised from the text or ignored. The Book of Revelation contains stern warnings to those who would add or take away from the words of its prophecy. I would just as soon let someone else bear that burden.
But on the other hand I cannot assign to this one isolated phrase a strict literal interpretation which would overthrow many other clear and direct passages of scripture. Such is never the wise course for any student of God's Word. It must never be forgotten that Revelation is written in highly figurative and symbolic language. We must never assign to a symbolic passage any meaning which will bring it into collision with the clear testimony of other scripture.
So how shall we land on scriptural and harmonious ground? We must seek to find a way to scripturally harmonize what appear on their face to be two divergent concepts. On the one hand we have several clear and united scriptures which indicate that the judgment of the dead begins immediately follow the return of Christ, and on the other hand, a statement that the dead 'live not' again until the 1000 year reign of Christ is finished. This will be the topic of our next section.
The words of Paul, Daniel, Jesus, and John all link together to form one beautifully harmonious picture of the second coming immediately followed by the judgment of mankind. We must ask again how it is that all these passages have been overlooked? Why is there never any effort made to reconcile these clear passages with that which is said in Revelation 20:5: 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'?
So what then do these words mean? They seem so foreign and contrary to these other passages which state that the dead are to be judged at Christ's appearing and kingdom. It seems most unnatural to try and force a 1000 year gap into passages which seem to make clear that no such gap exists.
We have a very serious choice to make. What are we to do when we are confronted by a single passage of scripture such as this, which would seem to overthrow the united testimony of many others?
First we must admit to ourselves that we are frail fallible creatures. If we seek to gain the proper understanding of God's word we must ask Him for wisdom. We must prayerfully study the Bible and meditate on its words. As it stands, the Bible is not always the simplest book to understand: Its entire language and cultural setting is far removed from our own. Additionally, the book of Revelation in particular seems to many to be an endless riddle which is beyond their comprehension. The opinions about its meaning are as numerous as those who have undertaken the task of trying to explain it.
Evangelicals would like us to believe that Revelation 20:5 overthrows the entire 'theory' that the judgment immediately follows the return of Christ, or that the sheep and goats and Great White Throne judgments could be one and the same. But on the basis of the above evidence, is this really merely a theory? Does Revelation 20:5 really overturn a mere 'manmade theory', or do others seek to use it to overthrow the united testimony of many other clear scriptures? As sincere students of God's word, we simply cannot pretend this problem does not exist. We cannot close our eyes, and sit safe in our theology hoping that someone else will work out these problems for us. No, it is our responsibility to 'prove all things' and 'hold fast to that which is good'. (1 Thes 5:21)
First, it should be made clear that Revelation 20:5 has a rather dubious history as far as the Greek text of the Bible is concerned. The phrase in question, 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished' is not contained at all in two of our oldest Greek manuscripts, the Sinaitic, and the Alexandrine. It is also completely absent from one of our oldest versions of the Bible, the Syriac. It has also been said that out of 200 of our oldest manuscripts, the phrase is absent from 70 of them.
Addmittedly, the great majority of known Greek manuscripts contain this phrase. However, out of those manuscripts, there are no less than eight different variant readings of this very short phrase. This evidence would seem to indicate one of two things. Either this phrase was not in the original manuscript of the book of Revelation at all, or if it was, proved so problematic to some that it was eventually removed or constantly adjusted. If this evidence proves anything it should tell us that others may have seen a difficulty in these words which many modern and careless readers ever take time to contemplate.
While there is no shortage of evidence in favor of deciding that this disputed phrase was not originally part of God's word, I do not feel authorized to say that it ought to be excised from the text or ignored. The Book of Revelation contains stern warnings to those who would add or take away from the words of its prophecy. I would just as soon let someone else bear that burden.
But on the other hand I cannot assign to this one isolated phrase a strict literal interpretation which would overthrow many other clear and direct passages of scripture. Such is never the wise course for any student of God's Word. It must never be forgotten that Revelation is written in highly figurative and symbolic language. We must never assign to a symbolic passage any meaning which will bring it into collision with the clear testimony of other scripture.
So how shall we land on scriptural and harmonious ground? We must seek to find a way to scripturally harmonize what appear on their face to be two divergent concepts. On the one hand we have several clear and united scriptures which indicate that the judgment of the dead begins immediately follow the return of Christ, and on the other hand, a statement that the dead 'live not' again until the 1000 year reign of Christ is finished. This will be the topic of our next section.
OF LIFE, RESURRECTION,
AND JUDGMENT
AND JUDGMENT
The purpose of this entire book has been to show that man has acquired a faulty view of death and the afterlife; one which was never taught in scripture but continues to be the propagation of the Satan's very first lie, 'you shall not surely die'.
It is no fault of God nor His word, that mankind has developed a flawed view of death and the resurrection. These misunderstandings have however also extended to the very nature of judgment itself. Evangelicals and fundamentalists believe that, oddly enough, the final judgment of mankind is no judgment at all. They believe that the judgment of every person is sealed at the moment of their death. One is 'saved' or they are not. This is precisely why the description of the final judgment as given in the Bible causes them such problems. If, as we have shown above, the 'sheep and goats' judgment is the same as the 'Great White Throne' judgment, then it is manifest that all in that judgment are not lost. This is however, totally contrary to what almost all evangelicals teach regarding the last judgment. They reason that all the saved are raised in the first resurrection (Revelation 20), therefore those of the second resurrection must all be lost. As a result of this flawed reasoning, their 'judgment' becomes no judgment at all, but an empty show. We will consider these points a bit later on.
Returning to our disputed text in Revelation 20:5, it is said that 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'. We have seen that the words of Jesus, Paul, Daniel, and John make a strict, literal interpretation of this phrase difficult without introducing, in our opinion, an irreconcilable contradiction. What we hope to show, is that there really is no contradiction here once one comprehends the true scriptural nature of man, death, and of life itself, then combined with the symbolic nature of the book of Revelation.
In trying to discern a proper understanding of this difficult clause, we must first understand that the word 'again' is not in any Greek text. The word 'again' appears in the text of the King James Bible because they obviously felt that it represented the true sense of the Greek. But, the phrase as it actually stands in the Greek text reads:
It is no fault of God nor His word, that mankind has developed a flawed view of death and the resurrection. These misunderstandings have however also extended to the very nature of judgment itself. Evangelicals and fundamentalists believe that, oddly enough, the final judgment of mankind is no judgment at all. They believe that the judgment of every person is sealed at the moment of their death. One is 'saved' or they are not. This is precisely why the description of the final judgment as given in the Bible causes them such problems. If, as we have shown above, the 'sheep and goats' judgment is the same as the 'Great White Throne' judgment, then it is manifest that all in that judgment are not lost. This is however, totally contrary to what almost all evangelicals teach regarding the last judgment. They reason that all the saved are raised in the first resurrection (Revelation 20), therefore those of the second resurrection must all be lost. As a result of this flawed reasoning, their 'judgment' becomes no judgment at all, but an empty show. We will consider these points a bit later on.
Returning to our disputed text in Revelation 20:5, it is said that 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'. We have seen that the words of Jesus, Paul, Daniel, and John make a strict, literal interpretation of this phrase difficult without introducing, in our opinion, an irreconcilable contradiction. What we hope to show, is that there really is no contradiction here once one comprehends the true scriptural nature of man, death, and of life itself, then combined with the symbolic nature of the book of Revelation.
In trying to discern a proper understanding of this difficult clause, we must first understand that the word 'again' is not in any Greek text. The word 'again' appears in the text of the King James Bible because they obviously felt that it represented the true sense of the Greek. But, the phrase as it actually stands in the Greek text reads:
'the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished'
Again, this is not our own arbitrary interpretation. Note how the following translations render this portion of Revelation 20:5
The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished... American Standard Version
the rest of the dead did not live till the thousand years had been completed... 1889 Darby Bible
The rest of the dead didn't live until the thousand years were finished... World English Bible
Notice the absence of the word 'again' in each of the above. One may wonder: What is the difference between saying 'The rest of the dead lived not', and 'The rest of the dead lived not again'? In trying to come to a proper understanding of this passage, the difference is profoundly significant. For example, what if I say:
'I need to have my car fixed'
How does this differ from:
'I need to get my car fixed again'
Obviously the word 'again' signifies a condition that existed in the past. If I need to have my car fixed 'again', then I must have had it fixed at least once already.
Someone may think that the word 'again' doesn't make any difference in Revelation 20:5 because it is obvious that 'the dead' already lived in the past. We submit that it is precisely on this point that readers fail to grasp the true sense of Revelation 20:5, and thus begins all the confusion in trying to reconcile it with the rest of the Bible.
We discussed in Chapter One: What is Man, the meaning of the 'spiritual death'. We determined that this does not entail some quasi-mystical 'separation' but simply means that we have no ability to sustain life within ourselves, and as such have been reckoned as dead by God. I invite the reader to go back and read that material if they do not understand these points. To God, the entire human race died in Adam. We are literally 'dead men walking', and have been since the day we were born. The harsh reality of our existence is that we are all one breath and one heartbeat away from death. Should this frail body malfunction, none of us would have any vital power or principle of life inherent within us to sustain our existence. To God, we have always 'the dead', and must remain so unless God himself imparts to us some new life.
This is how Jesus himself viewed the human race. Note his words in Matthew 8:22:
'I need to have my car fixed'
How does this differ from:
'I need to get my car fixed again'
Obviously the word 'again' signifies a condition that existed in the past. If I need to have my car fixed 'again', then I must have had it fixed at least once already.
Someone may think that the word 'again' doesn't make any difference in Revelation 20:5 because it is obvious that 'the dead' already lived in the past. We submit that it is precisely on this point that readers fail to grasp the true sense of Revelation 20:5, and thus begins all the confusion in trying to reconcile it with the rest of the Bible.
We discussed in Chapter One: What is Man, the meaning of the 'spiritual death'. We determined that this does not entail some quasi-mystical 'separation' but simply means that we have no ability to sustain life within ourselves, and as such have been reckoned as dead by God. I invite the reader to go back and read that material if they do not understand these points. To God, the entire human race died in Adam. We are literally 'dead men walking', and have been since the day we were born. The harsh reality of our existence is that we are all one breath and one heartbeat away from death. Should this frail body malfunction, none of us would have any vital power or principle of life inherent within us to sustain our existence. To God, we have always 'the dead', and must remain so unless God himself imparts to us some new life.
This is how Jesus himself viewed the human race. Note his words in Matthew 8:22:
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. Matt 8:22
As we look around at the masses of humanity on this planet, we may think that they are full of life, but to God, unless He Himself imparts to them some new life, they are as good as dead. For the believer, it is only the gift of the holy spirit which imparts this new life to us, and we are then awakened from death and 'quickened'. (Eph 2:1) According to the Bible, unsaved mankind does not possess life.
If we keep in mind that living, breathing men and women are actually dead in God's sight we will be on the right path to understanding the true meaning of the disputed clause in Revelation 20:5; 'The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished'. If we keep in mind that Jesus himself described the living breathing masses of humanity as 'the dead', all difficulty will soon disappear.
Note very carefully the following words of Jesus:
If we keep in mind that living, breathing men and women are actually dead in God's sight we will be on the right path to understanding the true meaning of the disputed clause in Revelation 20:5; 'The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished'. If we keep in mind that Jesus himself described the living breathing masses of humanity as 'the dead', all difficulty will soon disappear.
Note very carefully the following words of Jesus:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. John 5:25
Have you understood what you have just read? What did Jesus have in mind when he spoke these words? I fear that many have never taken the time to meditate on what Jesus meant by this. Was Jesus talking here about the resurrection, or did he have something else in mind? Who are 'the dead' to whom he was referring? Consider the context of the previous verse:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (Greek krisis - literally judgment); but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24
Jesus informs us that 'the hour is coming, as was in his day, when the dead would hear his voice, and those who would hear him would live'. Clearly then 'the dead', whoever they may be, do not 'live' until they hear his voice and believe on him. The context in John 5:24 shows us who Jesus meant by 'the dead'. The 'dead' were the people to whom he was preaching; people very much 'alive' in that they were walking, breathing, and speaking, but very much dead in the sight of God and Jesus. Those who heard Jesus and believed on him were imparted with life from God and passed from death to life. When God imparted to them 'life', they did not 'live again', they simply 'lived' for. Notice that in John 5:25, Jesus is not talking about raising corpses out of the grave, although he mentions that a few verses later. No, he is talking about people like you and I; living breathing men and women who were reckoned in death. These are 'the dead' to whom he was referring.
Now notice carefully, that 'the dead' were not only to hear his voice back then, but there was an 'hour coming' in which 'the dead' would once again hear his voice. Again, the context demands that he is not talking here about raising corpses from the tomb. That discussion begins a bit later on. He is talking about a future time, 'a coming hour' when those who were reckoned in death would believe on him and pass into life. Notice what follows:
Now notice carefully, that 'the dead' were not only to hear his voice back then, but there was an 'hour coming' in which 'the dead' would once again hear his voice. Again, the context demands that he is not talking here about raising corpses from the tomb. That discussion begins a bit later on. He is talking about a future time, 'a coming hour' when those who were reckoned in death would believe on him and pass into life. Notice what follows:
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. John 5:16-17
Jesus raises the issue of judgment in the same context as that of the 'coming hour' when 'the dead' would hear his voice and live. We note again, that when 'the dead' to whom he is referring, hear his voice and believe on him, they do not 'live again', they simply 'live' as this is the first time they ever had real life imparted to them. The subject of this passage is the judgment of mankind, and so relates directly to our topic.
According to John 5:16-17, Jesus possesses two things which were given to him by his Father. The first is 'life in himself'. That is, self-sustaining, self-existing life which is not dependant on an outside force to sustain it. Such a gift bestowed is the ultimate expression of eternal life. No human being currently possesses such 'life' and never has. We are frail, mortal creatures whose life can be snuffed out in an instant. We do not possess 'life within ourselves'. We have no power to sustain our life should this frail body formed from the dust fail us. The only ones who currently 'live' to God are Jesus himself, and those to whom he has imparted the gift of life by the holy spirit. But even then, the believers now only possess this spirit as down-payment and a seal which will be redeemed by the resurrection and transformed into real, self-existing life as Christ himself now possesses it. So, as the Father has given life to Jesus, Jesus also offers this life to those who believe on him.
Jesus also possesses 'the authority to execute judgment'. That is, the Father has given to him the ultimate power of decision over who will ultimately live and who will not. Once again, Jesus also promises that those who believe on him and live faithfully will share in this incomprehensible privilege which God has bestowed upon him. Now consider what follows very carefully.
According to John 5:16-17, Jesus possesses two things which were given to him by his Father. The first is 'life in himself'. That is, self-sustaining, self-existing life which is not dependant on an outside force to sustain it. Such a gift bestowed is the ultimate expression of eternal life. No human being currently possesses such 'life' and never has. We are frail, mortal creatures whose life can be snuffed out in an instant. We do not possess 'life within ourselves'. We have no power to sustain our life should this frail body formed from the dust fail us. The only ones who currently 'live' to God are Jesus himself, and those to whom he has imparted the gift of life by the holy spirit. But even then, the believers now only possess this spirit as down-payment and a seal which will be redeemed by the resurrection and transformed into real, self-existing life as Christ himself now possesses it. So, as the Father has given life to Jesus, Jesus also offers this life to those who believe on him.
Jesus also possesses 'the authority to execute judgment'. That is, the Father has given to him the ultimate power of decision over who will ultimately live and who will not. Once again, Jesus also promises that those who believe on him and live faithfully will share in this incomprehensible privilege which God has bestowed upon him. Now consider what follows very carefully.
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29
As we said, the context of Jesus' discourse is clearly that of the resurrection and the judgment. It is only here, in verse 28, that Jesus begins to discuss the issue of physical, mortal, resurrection. But as we should be able to see from what Jesus said previously, such a resurrection does not automatically impart 'life' as God sees it. Notice that Jesus does NOT say, 'the hour is coming , in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and LIVE'. Such would be completely untrue.
It is a common error to assume that bringing people back to physical, mortal life as we know it today, constitutes the giving of real 'life'. Notice that this passage brings this out very clearly. The hour is coming when all who are in the graves 'come forth', but are they alive? Do they have life as God sees it? No, only those who have done 'good things' come forth (are raised up) to a resurrection of 'life', that is, life as God sees it; everlasting life. Those who had done evil come forth (are raised up) to a resurrection of 'judgment'. Notice very carefully that these are not resurrected to life, even though they 'come forth' from their tombs. Thus, who are these then who come forth, but not to life? They remain 'the dead'. These come forth, but still in their fallen, mortal, dying condition and still reckoned in death. They are 'raised up' but they are still very much 'the dead'.
So we see that Jesus said there was a coming hour when 'the dead' (not the physically dead, but the spiritually dead - those reckoned in death) would again hear his voice and live. He then goes on to say that the hour is also coming when all who are 'in the graves' would come forth, some to 'life' (everlasting life), and the rest to 'judgment'.
Now we have the key to understanding the enigmatic phrase in Revelation 20:5 - 'the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished'.
In this 'coming hour' there is to be a dual resurrection. Some. those that have done good things, will come forth to 'life'. That is, eternal life - freedom from the dying condition we all inherited from Adam. The rest of the dead are not raised in this manner. It is however said that in this same coming hour, those who would come forth to a resurrection of 'judgment', those that remain 'the dead' would hear Jesus' voice, and that those who would hear would 'live'.
Turning to Revelation chapter 20 we see this very thing. We are told of a 'first resurrection' and that on those who were accounted worthy to attain to it, the 'second death hath no power'. This statement is clear once we free ourselves from traditional thinking concerning hell. These are raised into a condition where they cannot die a second time. The 'second death' is not some place of fiery torment - it is exactly what the words imply, A SECOND DEATH. These who come out of their graves to a resurrection of 'life' are not liable to a second death simply because they have been made immortal. Nothing could be more plain.
These of the 'first resurrection' are possessors of real self-sustaining eternal life. Notice in another passage how Jesus brought out this very thought:
It is a common error to assume that bringing people back to physical, mortal life as we know it today, constitutes the giving of real 'life'. Notice that this passage brings this out very clearly. The hour is coming when all who are in the graves 'come forth', but are they alive? Do they have life as God sees it? No, only those who have done 'good things' come forth (are raised up) to a resurrection of 'life', that is, life as God sees it; everlasting life. Those who had done evil come forth (are raised up) to a resurrection of 'judgment'. Notice very carefully that these are not resurrected to life, even though they 'come forth' from their tombs. Thus, who are these then who come forth, but not to life? They remain 'the dead'. These come forth, but still in their fallen, mortal, dying condition and still reckoned in death. They are 'raised up' but they are still very much 'the dead'.
So we see that Jesus said there was a coming hour when 'the dead' (not the physically dead, but the spiritually dead - those reckoned in death) would again hear his voice and live. He then goes on to say that the hour is also coming when all who are 'in the graves' would come forth, some to 'life' (everlasting life), and the rest to 'judgment'.
Now we have the key to understanding the enigmatic phrase in Revelation 20:5 - 'the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished'.
In this 'coming hour' there is to be a dual resurrection. Some. those that have done good things, will come forth to 'life'. That is, eternal life - freedom from the dying condition we all inherited from Adam. The rest of the dead are not raised in this manner. It is however said that in this same coming hour, those who would come forth to a resurrection of 'judgment', those that remain 'the dead' would hear Jesus' voice, and that those who would hear would 'live'.
Turning to Revelation chapter 20 we see this very thing. We are told of a 'first resurrection' and that on those who were accounted worthy to attain to it, the 'second death hath no power'. This statement is clear once we free ourselves from traditional thinking concerning hell. These are raised into a condition where they cannot die a second time. The 'second death' is not some place of fiery torment - it is exactly what the words imply, A SECOND DEATH. These who come out of their graves to a resurrection of 'life' are not liable to a second death simply because they have been made immortal. Nothing could be more plain.
These of the 'first resurrection' are possessors of real self-sustaining eternal life. Notice in another passage how Jesus brought out this very thought:
But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection fromthe dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more ...Luke 20:35-36
There is much in this passage that is commonly overlooked, and we will consider it in more detail a bit later. But for now, see that a resurrection to 'life' means that those so resurrected cannot die a second time, that is, in the words of Revelation, they are not subject to a second death.
However, with the exception of this one very special and privileged class of individuals, the rest of mankind are not raised so. Earlier we presented clear scriptural proof that the judgment of mankind begins immediately following the return of Christ and the setting up of his kingdom on earth. The phrase, 'The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished' does not at all mean what so many seem to assume; namely that these remain in their graves until the thousand years are finished. That is precisely what the verse does not say, nor what it means. Consider carefully what this same chapter has to say about the judgment of these:
However, with the exception of this one very special and privileged class of individuals, the rest of mankind are not raised so. Earlier we presented clear scriptural proof that the judgment of mankind begins immediately following the return of Christ and the setting up of his kingdom on earth. The phrase, 'The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished' does not at all mean what so many seem to assume; namely that these remain in their graves until the thousand years are finished. That is precisely what the verse does not say, nor what it means. Consider carefully what this same chapter has to say about the judgment of these:
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. Rev 20:12
When was the last time you saw a dead person standing anywhere? I submit that you see 'the dead' standing around every day - at the grocery store, in the workplace, at the gas pump, etc. What John sees are the dead who have come forth to a resurrection of judgment just as Jesus had said. He sees 'the dead' standing before God and before the throne. These have experienced a mortal resurrection but are still in their dying Adamic condition. They are still very literally 'the dead', just as Jesus preached to 'the dead' during his earthly ministry. Revelation 20 is simply a record of that 'coming hour' which Jesus spoke of, in which all who were in the graves would hear his voice and come forth. These however, have not come forth to life as those of the first resurrection, but to judgment. Therefore, they remain 'the dead' and are still subject to the 'second death' which is everlasting destruction with no hope of future recovery or resurrection.
We know from the parable of the sheep and goats that there will be 'sheep' in the last judgment of mankind even though these sheep are evidently not initially of the class which makes the 'first resurrection'. How do we know this? Because those of the first resurrection do not come into this judgment at all. In fact, they themselves are doing the judging! They do however judge both sheep and goats, and therefore it should be obvious that not all in this final judgment are lost, nor is one automatically lost because they failed to attain to the first resurrection. These 'sheep' are however only raised first back into their dying mortal condition. They are only granted eternal life pending their judgment, and hence we read - 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'.
One group, those of the first resurrection will attain to life without coming into judgment at all; they in fact become the judges. But the others will not attain to life until the thousand years of judgment are completed. Thus we see that this phrase ('the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished') which has so often been advanced to overthrow the teaching that the judgment begins upon the return of Christ and during his kingdom, is not contrary to that view at all. Nor can it be used to prove that the sheep and goats judgment and the great white throne judgment are not the same. Quite to the contrary, a proper understanding of this seemingly problematic phrase lands us squarely on scriptural and harmonious ground.
We see then that the phrase 'The rest of the dead lived not until the the thousand years were finished' is not addressing the issue of physical mortal resurrection at all, but the issue of who will and will not ultimately gain eternal life. In the judgment, it will be found by the good works of some, that they are indeed sheep. These will be granted granted life as Jesus himself has stated; 'Come you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt 25:34). However, they will not be granted this life - that is to say, they will not LIVE, until the thousand years of judgment are finished.
We are aware that Revelation 20 does also address the issue of physical mortal resurrection in verse 13; 'the sea gave up the dead that was in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them'. We stress that this only strengthens our point. These verses do not say that the sea, death and Hades released the dead and that they 'lived again'. They experience only a mortal resurrection but remain 'the dead' even before the throne of God, having no real life imparted to them.
We know that some will attempt to overthrow this entire explanation by retreating to the argument that Revelation 20 must be read as one unbroken, strictly chronological sequence of events. We feel such a position is wholly unfounded and will address that particular issue in great detail a bit later.
We are very well aware that this view of the judgment stands in direct opposition to that taught in our day by evangelical and fundamentalist teachers. We are however constrained to believe God rather than men.
We realize that our position raises many questions as we ponder the nature of such a judgment. As we hope to show in the remainder of this chapter, once the blinders are removed concerning the true nature of God's judgment for mankind, the Bible becomes a new book. Once we realize that not all who enter into this final judgment are lost, we can bring so many more scriptures to bear on this subject and throw a floodlight upon Biblical revelation which can never be seen through the tunnel vision of evangelical theology.
However, before moving on we must take some time to address a few remaining objections to our position that the sheep and goats, judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the 1000 year reign of Christ all represent the same period of time. We do not wish to wear the reader out, we only seek to be as comprehensive as possible.
We know from the parable of the sheep and goats that there will be 'sheep' in the last judgment of mankind even though these sheep are evidently not initially of the class which makes the 'first resurrection'. How do we know this? Because those of the first resurrection do not come into this judgment at all. In fact, they themselves are doing the judging! They do however judge both sheep and goats, and therefore it should be obvious that not all in this final judgment are lost, nor is one automatically lost because they failed to attain to the first resurrection. These 'sheep' are however only raised first back into their dying mortal condition. They are only granted eternal life pending their judgment, and hence we read - 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'.
One group, those of the first resurrection will attain to life without coming into judgment at all; they in fact become the judges. But the others will not attain to life until the thousand years of judgment are completed. Thus we see that this phrase ('the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished') which has so often been advanced to overthrow the teaching that the judgment begins upon the return of Christ and during his kingdom, is not contrary to that view at all. Nor can it be used to prove that the sheep and goats judgment and the great white throne judgment are not the same. Quite to the contrary, a proper understanding of this seemingly problematic phrase lands us squarely on scriptural and harmonious ground.
We see then that the phrase 'The rest of the dead lived not until the the thousand years were finished' is not addressing the issue of physical mortal resurrection at all, but the issue of who will and will not ultimately gain eternal life. In the judgment, it will be found by the good works of some, that they are indeed sheep. These will be granted granted life as Jesus himself has stated; 'Come you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt 25:34). However, they will not be granted this life - that is to say, they will not LIVE, until the thousand years of judgment are finished.
We are aware that Revelation 20 does also address the issue of physical mortal resurrection in verse 13; 'the sea gave up the dead that was in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them'. We stress that this only strengthens our point. These verses do not say that the sea, death and Hades released the dead and that they 'lived again'. They experience only a mortal resurrection but remain 'the dead' even before the throne of God, having no real life imparted to them.
We know that some will attempt to overthrow this entire explanation by retreating to the argument that Revelation 20 must be read as one unbroken, strictly chronological sequence of events. We feel such a position is wholly unfounded and will address that particular issue in great detail a bit later.
We are very well aware that this view of the judgment stands in direct opposition to that taught in our day by evangelical and fundamentalist teachers. We are however constrained to believe God rather than men.
We realize that our position raises many questions as we ponder the nature of such a judgment. As we hope to show in the remainder of this chapter, once the blinders are removed concerning the true nature of God's judgment for mankind, the Bible becomes a new book. Once we realize that not all who enter into this final judgment are lost, we can bring so many more scriptures to bear on this subject and throw a floodlight upon Biblical revelation which can never be seen through the tunnel vision of evangelical theology.
However, before moving on we must take some time to address a few remaining objections to our position that the sheep and goats, judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the 1000 year reign of Christ all represent the same period of time. We do not wish to wear the reader out, we only seek to be as comprehensive as possible.
OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED
We have seen that the explanations advanced in order to turn the 'sheep and goats' judgment into something other than the last great judgment of mankind completely fail. We have also seen that there is strong evidence for our position that the 1000 year reign of Jesus which follows his return, IS this day of judgment which is so prominently spoken of in scripture. The main objection to this view is one single phrase in Revelation 20:5 - 'the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished'. We have seen however that this phrase in no way contradicts our view. The verse does not say that these remain in their graves during that time. They 'come forth' from the grave, but still in a dying condition, still under judgment, and subject to the second death pending that judgment. We submit that this is the only explanation which will harmonize all the scriptural evidence.
Still, there are other 'objections' to our view. While we question the validity of many of them, we feel compelled to address them in order to show the fallacy of trying to make the plain teaching of scripture into something it's not.
Finis Jennings Dake, in his 'Dake's Annotated Reference Bible' lists what he sees as eighteen contrasts between the 'Sheep and Goats' judgment (Matthew 25) and the 'Great White Throne' judgment (Revelation 20). On the basis of these contrasts he concludes that these judgments cannot possibly be the same. We will use his list because it is comprehensive as to the objections raised to our position, and seek to answer each one in a consistent, scriptural manner.
Of these eighteen 'contrasts' eight of them are listed as follows:
Still, there are other 'objections' to our view. While we question the validity of many of them, we feel compelled to address them in order to show the fallacy of trying to make the plain teaching of scripture into something it's not.
Finis Jennings Dake, in his 'Dake's Annotated Reference Bible' lists what he sees as eighteen contrasts between the 'Sheep and Goats' judgment (Matthew 25) and the 'Great White Throne' judgment (Revelation 20). On the basis of these contrasts he concludes that these judgments cannot possibly be the same. We will use his list because it is comprehensive as to the objections raised to our position, and seek to answer each one in a consistent, scriptural manner.
Of these eighteen 'contrasts' eight of them are listed as follows:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
Some Saved |
None Saved |
|
Some Destroyed |
All Destroyed |
|
Some go to Hell |
All go to Hell |
|
Some Enter Kingdom |
None Enter Kingdom |
|
Separation of Good From Bad |
None Good Here |
|
Some Enter Eternal Life |
None Enter Eternal Life |
|
To determine who continues to live on earth |
None here will ever live on earth again |
Two Classes |
One Class |
How Dake feels that these actually amount to eight differentobjections is a bit of a mystery. They clearly all represent the very same objection - namely that Dake feels that none in the Great White Throne judgment are saved and therefore these judgments cannot be the same.
We mentioned this type of argument earlier. One does not have to have a degree in systematic theology to see that such an 'argument' is not valid. In fact, all one needs to do is open their Bible and read Revelation 20.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:12-15
For the life of me, I cannot see how this passage teaches that ALL in this judgment are lost. How anyone can read this passage and make such bold assertions such as 'all go to hell', 'none are saved', 'all are destroyed' etc is a complete mystery to me. There is simply no point in saying 'whosoever was not found written in the book of life' if absolutely NONE of these were found written there. The text says that in this judgment, those not found written in the book of life will perish. It simply does not say that ALL perish. 'Whosoever' does not mean 'everyone'. No amount of assertion or rhetoric on the part of evangelical theologians is going to make this passage say what it does not say.
So, of Dake's eighteen objections by which he hopes to prove that these judgments cannot be the same, we must immediately reject eight of them as being without any scriptural foundation.
Additionally, Dake lists the following:
So, of Dake's eighteen objections by which he hopes to prove that these judgments cannot be the same, we must immediately reject eight of them as being without any scriptural foundation.
Additionally, Dake lists the following:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
No Resurrection |
A Resurrection |
|
Living Nations |
Wicked Dead |
|
One Generation |
Many Generations |
Once again, these three objections actually amount to only one. It would seem as though Dake is trying to artificiallymultiple his 'objections' to the view that these two passages of scripture are parallel. Dake feels that since Matthew 25 does not explicitly mention a resurrection of the dead, then these two passages cannot represent the same judgment.
First of all, it must be taken into account that such reasoning is merely an argument from silence. Simply because scripture does not mention something explicitly does not mean that it is not implied. Furthermore, we find it rather amusing that Dake reads into the eight previously mentioned 'objections' the notion that all in the Great White Throne judgment are lost, when that text says no such thing. In other words, Dake uses an argument from silence only in those instances where it suits his agenda.
But is there really NO mention of a resurrection in Matthew 25? We have actually already answered this objection in a previous section. Matthew 25 describes a judgment that clearly follows the second coming. The Bible is clear that all the wicked who are alive in the period designated as 'the harvest' just prior to Christ's coming will be destroyed. These are destroyed by the cataclysmic plagues and judgments poured out upon the earth immediately preceding, and finished by the battle of Armageddon at Jesus' return. After these events, Jesus will sit upon his glorious throne and reign from Jerusalem.
The end of this age is compared by Jesus with the days of Noah. As the wicked did not escape the flood, they will not escape the wrath of God poured out at the end of this age. This however leaves no 'goats' to go on living into a separate judgment after Jesus returns. Therefore a resurrection is most definitely implied in Matthew 25 because otherwise there are no goats to judge.
Dake himself proves that our view is correct. How? In a note on Matthew 25:34 Dake writes:
The purpose of this judgment (the sheep and goats judgment) is to determine who shall enter the kingdom (Dan 7:9-14, 22; Rev 11:15) and to give the meek the earth as promised (Ps. 37:11; Matt 5:5) words in italics are mine
To all this we would agree, but we wonder if Mr. Dake has read his own cross-references? Notice that Dake has cross-referenced Matthew 25 with Daniel 7 verses 9-14 and 22. What do we read in Daniel 7:9-10:
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Dan 7:9-10
Daniel 7:10, with its language about the 'books being opened' is clearly a reference to Revelation 20 and the great white throne judgment, but this is the very conclusion that Dake is trying to avoid. He has said that Matthew 25 contains no mention of a resurrection, but then sites a cross-reference (Dan 7:10) which speaks in exactly the same language as the passage with which he is attempting to draw a contrast (Rev 20): a passage in which there is definitely a resurrection. This just goes to show the bungled mess one can get into when we try to make the clear language of scripture say something it doesn't.
Therefore, there is no reason to assume that there is no resurrection in Matthew 25 just because none is mentioned there. Dake's' own logic and cross-references prove this to be so. We must therefore reject these three objections to our position as also being without any valid scriptural foundation.
Dake raises yet another objection:
Therefore, there is no reason to assume that there is no resurrection in Matthew 25 just because none is mentioned there. Dake's' own logic and cross-references prove this to be so. We must therefore reject these three objections to our position as also being without any valid scriptural foundation.
Dake raises yet another objection:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
Before the Millennium |
After the Millennium |
We have covered this point in detail earlier. Our position is that both the 'Sheep and Goats' judgment, and the 'Great White Throne' judgment are both pictures of the last great judgment of mankind that takes place during the millennium.
The evidence on which this objection is raised is one portion of Revelation 20:5 - 'the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were finished'. We addressed this concern in the previous section and feel no need to repeat the matter here. Additionally we will consider the proper interpretation of the millennium in Revelation 20 a bit later.
Another objection is raised:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
Christ the Judge |
God the Judge |
With all due respect to Finis Jennings Dake, we really feel that such an argument amounts to 'reaching'.
No one will argue that God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, is the ultimate judge of the universe. But note what Jesus himself has said:
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. John 5:22
God the Father is ultimately the judge, but He his delegated this authority to his son Jesus. This verse is explicit - the judgment of ALL men has been committed to Jesus. Will Dake rob Jesus of his God given authority in order to raise an objection to a position he finds disagreeable?
All judgment takes place in the site of God and before His throne (Rev 20, Dan 7). No judgment is hidden from Him. But all judgment has been committed to Jesus. Dake's argument is simply vacuous and without merit. This objection does however relate directly to next:
All judgment takes place in the site of God and before His throne (Rev 20, Dan 7). No judgment is hidden from Him. But all judgment has been committed to Jesus. Dake's argument is simply vacuous and without merit. This objection does however relate directly to next:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
On Earth |
In Heaven |
This is such a classic example of an argument so blinded by its own pre-conceived ideas that it cannot see its own absurdities.
There is nothing in the parable of the 'Sheep and Goats' which states explicitly that this judgment takes place on earth. Given Dake's propensity to argue from silence, he should draw the exact opposite conclusion from that which he asserts; at least if he was consistent. While we agree that the 'Sheep and Goats' judgment does indeed take place on earth, we call attention to the fact that we believe this to be a clear implication which is not directly stated in the text. Dake himself will allow this implication, and in fact present it as an assertion, but will not allow any other implication which militates against his own pre-conceived ideas; such as that a resurrection is also implied here.
This fallacy is extended to Revelation 20. Here we read explicitly:
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. Rev 20:1
If Revelation 20 proves that the judgment cannot take place on the earth, then it equally teaches that it cannot take place 'in heaven' as Dake and others assert.
This type of reasoning shows a complete lack of sensitivity to the symbolical nature of the book of Revelation. In psalm 37:29 we read:
This type of reasoning shows a complete lack of sensitivity to the symbolical nature of the book of Revelation. In psalm 37:29 we read:
The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. Psalm 37:29
Clearly then the literal heavens and earth do not literally pass away. The 'heavens' and 'the earth' represent those earthly governments and systems, and those satanic heavenly systems (as Satan is the 'prince of the power of the air' Eph 2:2) which find no place during the judgment and 1000 year reign of Christ. Notice that during the judgment these 'flee away' and no place is found for them. We read further in Revelation 21:1, after the judgment and the final destruction of every wicked person that the 'first heaven and earth' had 'passed away.' The judgment is the process in which these humanistic and satanic systems are done away with. They find no place in Christ's kingdom during the judgment, and are completely eliminated by the complete destruction of every wicked person. The symbolism is plain and clear to those who read the text looking for more than simply an axe to grind.
Another supposed objection is raised:
Another supposed objection is raised:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
No Books Opened |
Books Opened |
We find such an objection incredibly puzzling. As we have noted above, Dake himself, in the Dake's Annotated Reference Bible has listed Daniel 7:9-14 as a cross-reference to the 'Sheep and Goats' judgment of Matthew 25. The note in which he lists this cross-reference appears almost immediately below the note in which he raises the objection shown above. In Daniel 7:10 we read that 'the judgment was set, and the books were opened'. If Dake feels that Daniel 7:9-14 is a legitimate cross-reference to Matthew 25( and we heartily agree that it is), then he himself has erased his own so-called objection.
Clearly, if Daniel 7 is a true cross-reference to Matthew 25 as we believe it is, then this only serves to prove our position even more - that all these passages (Daniel 7, Revelation 20, and Matthew 25) all refer to the same period of time - the last great judgment of mankind.
Contrary to providing a legitimate objection, Dake's own cross-reference serves to show how scriptural and solid our a view is; although we can't help but wonder if he somehow unwittingly overlooked this.
We continue:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
Angels Help |
None Mentioned |
I must admit that is is difficult for me to take such an objection seriously.
It is difficult to try and ascertain what Dake means by 'angels help' when the only thing we read in Matthew 25 concerning the angels is, 'When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him...'. This is the entirety of what we read concerning the role of angels in Matthew 25. Again, in what way Dake ascertains from this that 'angels help' is a bit uncertain.
Worse yet is that Dake feels this 'fact', as ambiguous as it is, is significant enough to draw a contrast between the judgments of Matthew 25 and Revelation 20. It is true that Revelation 20 makes no specific mention of angels, but once again Dake attempts to build his case on a mere argument from silence.
Dake does not define how the angels 'help' in Matthew 25, nor does he point out why he thinks it significant that none are mentioned in Revelation 20. I myself fail to see how this hollow reasoning is supposed to prove anything. In fact I urge anyone with access to a Dake's reference Bible to look up these references for themselves, lest they think I am setting up my own straw men in order to knock them down.
The final two objections will be considered together:
| Matthew 25 | Revelation 20 |
|
Gentiles Only |
Jews - Gentiles |
|
Basis- Persecution of Jews |
Basis - All Sins of
All Kinds of All Men |
What is there in Matthew 25 that would lead Dake to believe that there are no Jews present at this judgment?
The the simplest way by far to expose the fallacy in this logic is to ask the reader to simply re-read Matthew 25 very carefully. It is clear that what Dake has raised as an objection, is nothing more than his own interpretation of the passage.
However, the Bible leaves absolutely no doubt that Dake has made a serious error in interpretation. Note, Matthew 25 is clearly the time after the second coming when Jesus sits upon his glorious throne (..then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory (Matt 25:31).
But notice what Jesus also promised the apostles:
...when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matt 19:28
This could not be any clearer. The same judgment which begins upon 'all nations' when Jesus sits upon his throne, involves the nation of Israel as well. How Dake can say that no Jews are present in the judgment of Matthew 25 in an absolute mystery Dake has made a very serious and careless error.
Likewise, Dake's objection regarding the basis of judgment is equally invalid. Dake has interpreted 'the brethren' of Matthew 25 to be a strict reference to the Jewish nation only. But is this what Jesus himself taught? We are not left in the dark:
Likewise, Dake's objection regarding the basis of judgment is equally invalid. Dake has interpreted 'the brethren' of Matthew 25 to be a strict reference to the Jewish nation only. But is this what Jesus himself taught? We are not left in the dark:
Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. Matt 12:47-50
We have the words of Jesus himself. His 'brethren' are his disciples. What Jesus is teaching is that men's works ultimately reflect their attitude toward the gospel and those who preach it. Those who were hostile toward that message and demonstrated their evil works by rejecting or persecuting Christ's disciples will be the goats of the last judgment. Those who displayed their good works by their heart attitude toward the gospel message and good treatment of Christ's disciples will be the 'sheep'.
We would like to raise here a principle of judgment that we will consider in detail as this study progresses. Judgment regarding ones eternal destiny can only be determined by one's response to the true Gospel and one's treatment of Christ's truedisciples. This is a principle which must be fully understood in order to grasp the true significance and necessity for the last judgment. We will have much to say about this in coming sections.
We have covered all eighteen 'objections' raised by opponents in which they hop to prove that our position is incorrect. We must, in good conscience, and with solid scriptural basis, dismiss all of them as without valid foundation.
So what have we determined thus far? That the last final judgment upon mankind is described in numerous passages of scripture. This judgment will begin immediately following the return of Christ (2 Tim 4:1, Rev 11:18, Dan 7:8-10, Matt 25:31-32). At Christ's return the resurrection begins with what is deemed 'the first resurrection' (Rev 20:5-6). Those accounted worthy of this 'first resurrection' are raised immortal and are not subject to judgment (Luke 20:36, Rev 20:6, 1 Cor 15:53-54). In fact they are given the right to judge the rest of mankind along with Christ (Matt 19:28, 1 Cor 6:2-3, Dan 7:22).
After the first resurrection, the rest of the dead will begin to be raised and judged (Dan 7:9-10, Dan 12:2, Matthew 25:31-32, Rev 20:5 [cp. John 5:25, 28-29] ). These however are raised only in their previous, mortal, dying condition. They are brought forth from the grave but have no real abiding life in them (John 5:25, 28-29, Rev 20:12). They remain subject to the second death pending their judgment (Rev 20:5 cp. Rev 20:12).
Because we know that there will be 'sheep' in this judgment (Matt 25:31-46), it is manifest that not all who rise in the second resurrection are lost. All will be judged according to their works, and by their response to the true Gospel and their treatment of Christ's true brethren (Rev 20:12-15, Matt 25:31-46, Matt 12:47-50, Dan 12:2, Dan 7:9-10).
During this judgment which is to last 1000 years (Rev 20:1-4), there will be no place found for humanistic governments opposed to the will of God (symbolized by 'the earth'), nor demonic forces which currently reside in the earth's atmosphere (symbolized by 'the heavens') (Rev 20:11). The judgment is the process by which these are permanently done away with and will be accomplished by the final destruction of every evil person (Rev 20:13-15, Rev 21:1).
We feel that this represents a truly scriptural and harmonious view of the final judgment.
We would like to raise here a principle of judgment that we will consider in detail as this study progresses. Judgment regarding ones eternal destiny can only be determined by one's response to the true Gospel and one's treatment of Christ's truedisciples. This is a principle which must be fully understood in order to grasp the true significance and necessity for the last judgment. We will have much to say about this in coming sections.
We have covered all eighteen 'objections' raised by opponents in which they hop to prove that our position is incorrect. We must, in good conscience, and with solid scriptural basis, dismiss all of them as without valid foundation.
So what have we determined thus far? That the last final judgment upon mankind is described in numerous passages of scripture. This judgment will begin immediately following the return of Christ (2 Tim 4:1, Rev 11:18, Dan 7:8-10, Matt 25:31-32). At Christ's return the resurrection begins with what is deemed 'the first resurrection' (Rev 20:5-6). Those accounted worthy of this 'first resurrection' are raised immortal and are not subject to judgment (Luke 20:36, Rev 20:6, 1 Cor 15:53-54). In fact they are given the right to judge the rest of mankind along with Christ (Matt 19:28, 1 Cor 6:2-3, Dan 7:22).
After the first resurrection, the rest of the dead will begin to be raised and judged (Dan 7:9-10, Dan 12:2, Matthew 25:31-32, Rev 20:5 [cp. John 5:25, 28-29] ). These however are raised only in their previous, mortal, dying condition. They are brought forth from the grave but have no real abiding life in them (John 5:25, 28-29, Rev 20:12). They remain subject to the second death pending their judgment (Rev 20:5 cp. Rev 20:12).
Because we know that there will be 'sheep' in this judgment (Matt 25:31-46), it is manifest that not all who rise in the second resurrection are lost. All will be judged according to their works, and by their response to the true Gospel and their treatment of Christ's true brethren (Rev 20:12-15, Matt 25:31-46, Matt 12:47-50, Dan 12:2, Dan 7:9-10).
During this judgment which is to last 1000 years (Rev 20:1-4), there will be no place found for humanistic governments opposed to the will of God (symbolized by 'the earth'), nor demonic forces which currently reside in the earth's atmosphere (symbolized by 'the heavens') (Rev 20:11). The judgment is the process by which these are permanently done away with and will be accomplished by the final destruction of every evil person (Rev 20:13-15, Rev 21:1).
We feel that this represents a truly scriptural and harmonious view of the final judgment.
A RESURRECTION TO DAMNATION?
As we discussed briefly in the previous section, God the Father has delegated the judgment of the entire human race to His son, Jesus Christ. As Jesus himself stated:
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. John 5:22
What many Christians fail to realize is that Jesus has extended an offer to share in this privilege to those who will live a life of self-sacrifice and remain faithful to him until death. The scriptures are clear and abundant on this point, although they are almost never preached and studied. This seems incredible. How is it that we have lost sight of such a tremendous privilege.
Christians have become completely blinded by the false notion of 'heaven' immediately when they die. They feel that if they are 'saved' they will go to heaven, and that's about as much thought as many give to the matter. We do not doubt that our Lord will ultimately save all those who come to him. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself; what is the reward for faithfulness? Is there such a reward? What is the entire point of your Christian life? Why does God place such emphasis on developing spiritual discernment and acquiring the mind of Christ? If I'm 'saved' and going to heaven anyway, why should any of this matter?
It is painfully obvious by examining the lives of many Christians that they really do not believe that these questions matter much at all. Their goal is to 'get to heaven' and believing they have that secured, they do not seem to give much more thought to the purpose of the Christian life.
This problem has been compounded and multiplied by a barrage of gospel tracts, sermons, radio ministries, books etc which have completely lost site of the fact that the resurrection of the dead, and the coming kingdom of God are the scriptural hope for a Christian and not 'heaven' immediately at death.
How often have you heard a Christian say something like this: 'I may not get the largest mansion when I get heaven but I'll be there. My crown may not shine as bright or have as many diamonds as someone else's, but I'll make it to heaven'. This type of talk represents a serious problem in our day. Christian have completely lost site of the goal of their Christian life. They have completely failed to comprehend the 'prize' for which they are to run. But most dangerous, they have have failed to discern the tragedy which will result for their lack of faithfulness in running the race for which God has called them.
Still Jesus does warn of a coming 'Resurrection to Damnation'. Let's taker a closer look on what exactly lies behind these words.
Christians have become completely blinded by the false notion of 'heaven' immediately when they die. They feel that if they are 'saved' they will go to heaven, and that's about as much thought as many give to the matter. We do not doubt that our Lord will ultimately save all those who come to him. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself; what is the reward for faithfulness? Is there such a reward? What is the entire point of your Christian life? Why does God place such emphasis on developing spiritual discernment and acquiring the mind of Christ? If I'm 'saved' and going to heaven anyway, why should any of this matter?
It is painfully obvious by examining the lives of many Christians that they really do not believe that these questions matter much at all. Their goal is to 'get to heaven' and believing they have that secured, they do not seem to give much more thought to the purpose of the Christian life.
This problem has been compounded and multiplied by a barrage of gospel tracts, sermons, radio ministries, books etc which have completely lost site of the fact that the resurrection of the dead, and the coming kingdom of God are the scriptural hope for a Christian and not 'heaven' immediately at death.
How often have you heard a Christian say something like this: 'I may not get the largest mansion when I get heaven but I'll be there. My crown may not shine as bright or have as many diamonds as someone else's, but I'll make it to heaven'. This type of talk represents a serious problem in our day. Christian have completely lost site of the goal of their Christian life. They have completely failed to comprehend the 'prize' for which they are to run. But most dangerous, they have have failed to discern the tragedy which will result for their lack of faithfulness in running the race for which God has called them.
Still Jesus does warn of a coming 'Resurrection to Damnation'. Let's taker a closer look on what exactly lies behind these words.
In John Chapter 5 Jesus states:
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:28-29
Our standard King James translation of this verse has caused untold confusion. Comparing the phrase "resurrection to damnation" with Revelation 20, many assume that if the first resurrection is the resurrection to life Jesus spoke of:..
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Rev 20:5b-6
...then it must follow that the second resurrection where the dead appear before the great white throne MUST be the resurrection to damnation. This in fact is why many assume that ALL who appear in the great white throne judgment are lost.
However, we must admit that if John chapter 5 can be shown to not necessitate condemnation and damnation, then neither will Revelation 20. Notice the following from Revelation 20 and the picture of the last judgment:
However, we must admit that if John chapter 5 can be shown to not necessitate condemnation and damnation, then neither will Revelation 20. Notice the following from Revelation 20 and the picture of the last judgment:
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:12-15
This passage simply does not say what many would like it to; namely that ALL in this judgment are lost. In fact, the passage seems to imply exactly the opposite. In stating that whosoever was not found in the book of life are lost, it would seem to imply that some WERE in fact found written there. The presence of the book of life in the passage is something most fundamentalist commentators wish didn't exist. They have gone to great lengths to attempt to explain what it's doing at the judgment of the "unsaved dead".
Additionally, one might ask: If these are already unsaved, and have no hope for life, then why raise them in the first place?
Let's be perfectly honest when dealing with the text. Nothing in Revelation 20 demands that all in this judgment are lost. On the contrary, implication is made that some in this judgment are in fact saved. But what about the "resurrection to damnation" from John 5?
The Greek word translated "damnation" in John 5 is krisis, and corresponds exactly with our English word "crisis". In almost every other New Testament occurrence this same word has been translated "judgment".
Dr. Thayer gives the following as his first and primary definition of the word:
Additionally, one might ask: If these are already unsaved, and have no hope for life, then why raise them in the first place?
Let's be perfectly honest when dealing with the text. Nothing in Revelation 20 demands that all in this judgment are lost. On the contrary, implication is made that some in this judgment are in fact saved. But what about the "resurrection to damnation" from John 5?
The Greek word translated "damnation" in John 5 is krisis, and corresponds exactly with our English word "crisis". In almost every other New Testament occurrence this same word has been translated "judgment".
Dr. Thayer gives the following as his first and primary definition of the word:
2920 krisis-
1) a separating, a sundering, a separation;
a trial, a contest
If we study the way this word is used throughout the New Testament, we can readily see that "damnation" is by no means a fair translation. Consider the following:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (Gk. krisis) : and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Gk. Gehenna-- the most severe sentence). Matthew 5:22
In this passage, the krisis is clearly not equal to damnation, nor even the "council" for that matter. To translate krisis as "damnation" here would make the passage nonsense.
In no way does the "resurrection to krisis" in John 5 necessitate that all who come up in that resurrection are lost. It does however mean that they come up to a trial, a contest, a time of testing, and a crisis.
Again, from the book of Acts we see how Paul talks about this judgment, but once again never implies that all who enter into it are lost:
In no way does the "resurrection to krisis" in John 5 necessitate that all who come up in that resurrection are lost. It does however mean that they come up to a trial, a contest, a time of testing, and a crisis.
Again, from the book of Acts we see how Paul talks about this judgment, but once again never implies that all who enter into it are lost:
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. Acts 24:14-15
Notice that to Paul, the resurrection is a subject of hope, not for the just only, but also for the unjust.
Once we can comprehend that the "judgment" does not mean condemnation and damnation for every one who enters into it, so many more scriptures fall into place:
Once we can comprehend that the "judgment" does not mean condemnation and damnation for every one who enters into it, so many more scriptures fall into place:
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. Matt 10:1415
For once, let the scriptures speak and not our pre-conceived ideas!!
Why is it more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for the city which would not accept Jesus? The standard answer is that there are degrees of punishment in hell. But the the text doesn't say "HELL" does it? Furthermore, is the common conception of hell TOLERABLE FOR ANYONE? Why are the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrha being shown a level of toleration?
Notice: It's more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha but it's at least tolerable for all in some sense or the passage is meaningless. It is tolerable IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.. NOT HELL!! That is what your Bible says. Again, the verse refuses to teach what modern theology would demand.
Why is it more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for the city which would not accept Jesus? The standard answer is that there are degrees of punishment in hell. But the the text doesn't say "HELL" does it? Furthermore, is the common conception of hell TOLERABLE FOR ANYONE? Why are the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrha being shown a level of toleration?
Notice: It's more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha but it's at least tolerable for all in some sense or the passage is meaningless. It is tolerable IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.. NOT HELL!! That is what your Bible says. Again, the verse refuses to teach what modern theology would demand.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. Matt 11:21-24
How long will we simply refuse to believe what we read? None of these verses refer to our common conception of hell. Why do these verses constantly talk about this judgment of what is supposedly "unsaved dead" as being more tolerable for some than others?
Again, the plain, fair meaning of the actual words demands that the judgment spoken of here be tolerable is some way for all, but more so for some than others. Furthermore, all references are made to events which take place IN or DURING the day of judgment, not to events following the judgment.
Continuing, we find more even more information pertaining to this judgment. Information which simply refuses to bend to the popular notions of judgment:
Again, the plain, fair meaning of the actual words demands that the judgment spoken of here be tolerable is some way for all, but more so for some than others. Furthermore, all references are made to events which take place IN or DURING the day of judgment, not to events following the judgment.
Continuing, we find more even more information pertaining to this judgment. Information which simply refuses to bend to the popular notions of judgment:
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment (Gk. krisis) to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment (Gk. krisis) unto victory. Matthew 12:18-20
The Greek word for "gentiles" in verse 18 is the same word used for "nations" in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Furthermore the Greek word "krisis" is used in both cases where the word "judgment" appears. Imagine the absurdity of the passage had they here translated krisis as "damnation" as they did in John 5:
and he shall shew damnation?? to the Gentiles
till he send forth damnation?? unto victory
till he send forth damnation?? unto victory
Here, the whole sense of "judgment" is one of hope. "Judgment to the Gentiles" and "judgment unto victory" are both used in a positive sense, not in the sense of damnation and condemnation. Clearly a translation of John 5 which renders krisis as "damnation" is extremely slanted.
Consider another passage:
Consider another passage:
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt 12:36
The verse means exactly what it says. However, upon reading a passage like this, a strange thing happens to our "conservative" and "orthodox" scholars. Earlier, where the Bible clearly stated that it would be more tolerable for some than others IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, they took that to mean MORE TOLERABLE IN HELL. Why do they not employ the same reasoning here? Why don't ANY of them teach that man must give an account of every idle word in HELL? Why is it that we never question such inconsistencies?
That 'resurrection to damnation' in John 5 is impossible should be obvious from the following:
That 'resurrection to damnation' in John 5 is impossible should be obvious from the following:
The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment (Gk krisis) with this generation, and shall condemn (Gk. katakrino) it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment (Gk krisis) with this generation, and shall condemn (Gk katakrino) it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matt 12:41-42
Here we see clearly and explicitly that day of judgment is the time of the second resurrection. The men of Nineveh, and the queen of the south "rise up" (are resurrected) in the judgment. Is there anything in this passage, or any we have looked at, which demands that everyone in this resurrection, or in this judgment is lost? NO, NO, NO!!!
The implication is that the queen of the south, had she been alive when Christ came, or had he come in her day, would have listened to him and followed him, seeing as how she came a long way to hear Solomon who was such a lesser one than Christ. How then is she in a resurrection, or a judgment, to "damnation"? The same implication is made for the men of Nineveh., that they would have repented had Jesus went to them. Why then are they also damned? Haven't we been taught that Old Testament saints were saved by "looking forward to the cross"?
Notice also that the Greek word krisis is clearly the WEAKER equivalent to the word katakrino which has been rendered 'condemn'. Imagine the absurdity of:
The implication is that the queen of the south, had she been alive when Christ came, or had he come in her day, would have listened to him and followed him, seeing as how she came a long way to hear Solomon who was such a lesser one than Christ. How then is she in a resurrection, or a judgment, to "damnation"? The same implication is made for the men of Nineveh., that they would have repented had Jesus went to them. Why then are they also damned? Haven't we been taught that Old Testament saints were saved by "looking forward to the cross"?
Notice also that the Greek word krisis is clearly the WEAKER equivalent to the word katakrino which has been rendered 'condemn'. Imagine the absurdity of:
The men of Nineveh shall rise in the damnation (Gk krisis) with this generation, and shall condemn it.
Do any of these passages really fit the popular idea of the dead, one by one being paraded before the great white throne to have their since recounted to them, after which they are thrown into hell? Be honest. Do any of them fit what you have been taught about the judgment?
No they simply do not. Clearly this day of judgment is one of accountability, and restitution with the view of recovering those who will accept correction and accept Christ. This is clearly why the day of judgment (NOT HELL) is MORE TOLERABLE for some than others. Chorizan and Bethsaida heard Jesus preach and rejected him; Sodom and Gomorrah did not. Those in the cities which heard Jesus and refused him will be much more accountable to God in that day. The men of Nineveh repented when Jonah preached to them, how much more will they repent in the judgment when Christ himself is the judge? The Queen of the South delighted to hear Solomon; how much more will she accept Jesus when she rises to her trial and time of testing. We will offer further scriptural proof of these points a bit later on.
Notice Peter's words in the book of Acts:
No they simply do not. Clearly this day of judgment is one of accountability, and restitution with the view of recovering those who will accept correction and accept Christ. This is clearly why the day of judgment (NOT HELL) is MORE TOLERABLE for some than others. Chorizan and Bethsaida heard Jesus preach and rejected him; Sodom and Gomorrah did not. Those in the cities which heard Jesus and refused him will be much more accountable to God in that day. The men of Nineveh repented when Jonah preached to them, how much more will they repent in the judgment when Christ himself is the judge? The Queen of the South delighted to hear Solomon; how much more will she accept Jesus when she rises to her trial and time of testing. We will offer further scriptural proof of these points a bit later on.
Notice Peter's words in the book of Acts:
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. Acts 3:20
These "times of the restitution of all things" refer to this day of judgment. The idea is always one of restitution, hope, and recovery, not condemnation and damnation.
Not one biblical passage regarding this judgment states that allwho enter into it are lost. NOT ONE. It's the desire of men to force their beliefs into the Bible that makes it impossible for them to see this truth. God is in the business of restitution and recovery whether a man finds salvation in this life or not.
God promised Abraham:
Not one biblical passage regarding this judgment states that allwho enter into it are lost. NOT ONE. It's the desire of men to force their beliefs into the Bible that makes it impossible for them to see this truth. God is in the business of restitution and recovery whether a man finds salvation in this life or not.
God promised Abraham:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Gen 12:3
We know that the blessing was to come through Abraham's seed, which is Christ. Did the promise of God fail? Have allfamilies of the earth ever been blessed? Why can't we accept that Christ is the hope of restitution for all, even if they don't currently realize it.
At Jesus' birth, the angels announced:
At Jesus' birth, the angels announced:
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11
Has the news of the savior ever been proclaimed to "all people"? Are "good tidings of great joy" the way we present the Gospel today? Is it really "good tidings of great joy" that over 90% of the world's past and present population have never even heard that God gave us a savior? Did they angles lie? Is it good news that 85% of all who ever lived will burn eternally?
The apostle Paul answers:
The apostle Paul answers:
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Tim 2:5-6
Jesus ransomed ALL. Was God's plan so weak that he gave his son a ransom for all, then failed so miserably in applying the ransom to the majority of mankind? Has this ransom ever been testified to to all for which it was given? Paul answers that it WILL BE testified to, but in DUE TIME. When? We answer, in the day of Judgment, the times of the restitution of all things.
To say that the ransom was given by Jesus, accepted by the Father, but is not efficacious upon all for whom it was given is absurd. Yet this is exactly what most in our modern churches profess to believe. If we will stop and realize that the problem is not, nor ever has been "hell", we will begin to see the glory and the beauty of God's plan. Every child of Adam was born under the death sentence. The entire race was deemed unworthy of life, and for the last 6000 years the tombstones have testified to the wrath of God and the judgment upon sin.
Death has been, and continues to be mankind's greatest enemy and greatest fear. Christ came to buy back what Adam lost, and give his life a ransom for ALL. In doing so he bought back life for the entire race, and hence has the just and legal right to free EVERY ONE from the power of the grave, and from Adam's curse. As the apostle Paul states:
To say that the ransom was given by Jesus, accepted by the Father, but is not efficacious upon all for whom it was given is absurd. Yet this is exactly what most in our modern churches profess to believe. If we will stop and realize that the problem is not, nor ever has been "hell", we will begin to see the glory and the beauty of God's plan. Every child of Adam was born under the death sentence. The entire race was deemed unworthy of life, and for the last 6000 years the tombstones have testified to the wrath of God and the judgment upon sin.
Death has been, and continues to be mankind's greatest enemy and greatest fear. Christ came to buy back what Adam lost, and give his life a ransom for ALL. In doing so he bought back life for the entire race, and hence has the just and legal right to free EVERY ONE from the power of the grave, and from Adam's curse. As the apostle Paul states:
For since by man ( Adam) came death, by man (Jesus) came also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor 15:21
Ask the average Christian why God would raise the unjust, only to cast them back into "hell". The standard answer goes something like: "So they can bow down and admit that Jesus is Lord", or "So they can be shown their life and made to admit they are worthy of hell".
What they fail so miserably to realize is that the unrighteous dead need no judgment nor condemnation. They were condemned the day they were born, and the sentence was carried out the very day they died. As God said to Adam "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou go." As Jesus stated:
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.John 3:18
The judgment and sentence took place in Eden. Those who do not come to Christ remain under it.
Once we realize that Christ died to ransom all from the adamic death to which we were all liable, we must also realize that all the dead must be raised.
Once we realize that Christ died to ransom all from the adamic death to which we were all liable, we must also realize that all the dead must be raised.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Cor 15:22
Being released from the judgment placed upon Adam and the human race, these are raised so that they might be given another judgment. In fact, they MUST be raised. Jesus bought them with his own life, and death can no longer legally hold them. This explains so clearly and so completely why those who fail to obtain salvation is this last judgment are said to perish in "the second death".
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Rev 20:13-14
God gave his only begotten Son to ransom mankind from the first death (the adamic death) which we were all subject to. If these fail to make restitution for past sins and come to Christ in the day of judgment they will perish again in the second death; a death for which no ransom will be given, and from which no one will be released. Having counted God's ransom of little value, and having spurned the gift and grace of God, these will be punished, then utterly destroyed with no hope of return or resurrection.
Jesus' life was given as the corresponding price for what Adam lost. Jesus bought our race with his own blood, and hence has obtained the right to judge all of Adam's children, the living as well as the dead.
Jesus' life was given as the corresponding price for what Adam lost. Jesus bought our race with his own blood, and hence has obtained the right to judge all of Adam's children, the living as well as the dead.
THE SECOND RESURRECTION
IN REVELATION 20
A CRITICAL QUESTION OF TIMING
IN REVELATION 20
A CRITICAL QUESTION OF TIMING
We have attempted to show that there is solid scriptural evidence that the final judgment upon mankind begins immediately following the return of Christ. We have considered the difficulty in trying to place the final judgment a full 1000 years following Christ's return, and presented our case that the plain united testimony of many scriptures is directly contrary to such an interpretation. We have also attempted to answer every objection that we know of.
We have labored this point because the timing of the second resurrection (that of the unjust) is of supreme importance. It is our conviction that to move the judgment of mankind out of and beyond the 1000 year reign of Christ is to simply miss the entire point and purpose of judgment. That this is exactly what has happened in evangelical circles is completely evident. As we stated earlier, to them the 'judgment' is absolutely no judgment at all but a mere formality. A friend of mine who is a Baptist pastor admitted this to me. He said:
We have labored this point because the timing of the second resurrection (that of the unjust) is of supreme importance. It is our conviction that to move the judgment of mankind out of and beyond the 1000 year reign of Christ is to simply miss the entire point and purpose of judgment. That this is exactly what has happened in evangelical circles is completely evident. As we stated earlier, to them the 'judgment' is absolutely no judgment at all but a mere formality. A friend of mine who is a Baptist pastor admitted this to me. He said:
'Judgment' is actually a misnomer. It is not actually a judgment at all, but a mere formality so the unsaved can never say that they didn't get their day in court'.
But is this really how the Bible presents the judgment of those who do not rise in the first resurrection? After a careful study of the Bible, we must answer no. Christ himself has been granted by his Father the power to reign over and judge all mankind. Christ extends an offer to join with him to those who commit their lives to him and remain faithful until death - this is considered the great prize and goal of the Christian faith. But we must ask then, did God the Father grant to Jesus the power to supervise what could only be a mere formality? Is presiding over such a formality the great prize for which the Christian is to run? Is it for such an empty show that we are to spend our lives acquiring Godly wisdom and building Christian character?
As we learned in our previous section, most Christians have a severely flawed view of 'judgment'. 'Judgment' does not mean simply condemnation - sometimes it can mean 'administration', or 'government' but also the entire judicial process by which one's fate is determined including the final sentence. This entire process may ultimately include condemnation, but the word does not indicate merely condemnation. Those of the second resurrection are said to come forth to a resurrection of 'judgment' - that is, they come forth to a judicial proceeding which is under the administration and government of God's Son. It is under such conditions that their fate will ultimately be determined. To be sure, this process will ultimately result in the condemnation of some, but the process of judgment is not merely condemnation. It will be the supreme privilege of Jesus and those deemed worthy to reign with him to preside over this judgment of all mankind. But what value could there be in this 'judgment' if the final destiny of every individual has already been fixed?
I submit that this is an issue which the average Christian has never given any serious consideration. And no wonder - our churches, teachers, and commentaries have reduced the final judgment of mankind to a meaningless show. We cannot help but be struck once more how Satan's very first lie continues to blind us to true doctrine. Heaven or hell immediately at death have become the concern of our preachers and teachers. In this they have destroyed the Biblical doctrines of resurrection and judgment.
We must turn our attention once again to the timing of the second resurrection. It will no doubt be obvious that we have already devoted a great deal of time and space to this point. However, in this section we wish to approach this from a different perspective by a thorough inspection of Revelation 20, the chapter thought by many to be the final word on the biblical doctrine of the judgment.
If by such an investigation, we can establish beyond any doubt that the resurrection and judgment takes place during the 1000 year reign of Christ, the reign in which we, if faithful, are promised a share, then it must command our utmost attention. To preside over such a judgment becomes then the entire point, purpose and reward of our Christian life. Christ will grant to those deemed worthy the right, not only to reign with him, but to take part in the judicial process which will determine the fate of every child of Adam who has ever walked this planet. Can we not see the supreme importance of this issue? Keeping these issues firmly planted in our minds, let is once again turn our attention to Revelation 20 and the description given there of the second resurrection.
As we learned in our previous section, most Christians have a severely flawed view of 'judgment'. 'Judgment' does not mean simply condemnation - sometimes it can mean 'administration', or 'government' but also the entire judicial process by which one's fate is determined including the final sentence. This entire process may ultimately include condemnation, but the word does not indicate merely condemnation. Those of the second resurrection are said to come forth to a resurrection of 'judgment' - that is, they come forth to a judicial proceeding which is under the administration and government of God's Son. It is under such conditions that their fate will ultimately be determined. To be sure, this process will ultimately result in the condemnation of some, but the process of judgment is not merely condemnation. It will be the supreme privilege of Jesus and those deemed worthy to reign with him to preside over this judgment of all mankind. But what value could there be in this 'judgment' if the final destiny of every individual has already been fixed?
I submit that this is an issue which the average Christian has never given any serious consideration. And no wonder - our churches, teachers, and commentaries have reduced the final judgment of mankind to a meaningless show. We cannot help but be struck once more how Satan's very first lie continues to blind us to true doctrine. Heaven or hell immediately at death have become the concern of our preachers and teachers. In this they have destroyed the Biblical doctrines of resurrection and judgment.
We must turn our attention once again to the timing of the second resurrection. It will no doubt be obvious that we have already devoted a great deal of time and space to this point. However, in this section we wish to approach this from a different perspective by a thorough inspection of Revelation 20, the chapter thought by many to be the final word on the biblical doctrine of the judgment.
If by such an investigation, we can establish beyond any doubt that the resurrection and judgment takes place during the 1000 year reign of Christ, the reign in which we, if faithful, are promised a share, then it must command our utmost attention. To preside over such a judgment becomes then the entire point, purpose and reward of our Christian life. Christ will grant to those deemed worthy the right, not only to reign with him, but to take part in the judicial process which will determine the fate of every child of Adam who has ever walked this planet. Can we not see the supreme importance of this issue? Keeping these issues firmly planted in our minds, let is once again turn our attention to Revelation 20 and the description given there of the second resurrection.
Rev 20:1-15
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 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.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
We have produced here the chapter in its entirety so that it may be easily referred to.
As we discussed earlier, the strongest objection to our position that the judgment takes place during the 1000 year reign of Christ, is the clause in verse 5 - 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'. We have shown that every other reference to the judgment either fails to mention this 1000 year gap, or is directly contrary to such a gap. Revelation 11:18 is one such verse. For these reasons we determined that the problematic clause in verse 5 simply does not, and cannot mean that these remain in their graves during this 1000 year period, but instead that they remain in a dying condition throughout that period.
For some, this way of thinking seems like an almost insurmountable obstacle. They would rather use Revelation 20:5 to overturn the united harmonious testimony of many other scriptures than to grant to it any other interpretation than that which is most literal.
This difficulty has its root in the way most people read Revelation 20. They insist that it must be read as an unbroken sequence of events, in strict chronological order which they feel is not open to any further discussion or alternate interpretation. Often when the issue is raised that many may be reading Revelation 20 improperly, we encounter a knee-jerk reaction which insists that it simply cannot be read in any other way.
We readily admit that if Revelation 20 is meant to be understood as one strictly chronological, unbroken series of events, that this would make our position untenable. We allow that if it can be proven by scripture, sound logic, and reason, that the standard evangelical interpretation of Revelation 20 is correct, that our position cannot continue to stand. But we have to ask; where is their proof? Can they advance even onelegitimate objection to our position? We are convinced that they simply have not. We feel beyond this that there is solid, scriptural proof that their view is in error.
We will proceed to ask and attempt to answer three questions about this standard evangelical interpretation. First, are they even justified in reading Revelation 20 as one unbroken, strictly chronological sequence of events - are they justified in telling us that it must be read in this way? Second, are those events described in Revelation 20 spoken of in other scriptures which would throw more light on this subject? And finally, are there any other scriptures which would make the standard evangelical interpretation impossible?
In regard to this first question - is a reading of these events as one unbroken chronological sequence justified - we make no apology for mentioning once again that such a reading brings this passage into collision with many other scriptures and must stand alone its testimony. If others feel that such an interpretation is justified, we at least wish they would be honest enough to address the problems their view creates. As we mentioned earlier, the manuscript evidence for the seemingly problematic phrase in 20:5, 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished', proves that it has been controversial in the past. Once again, I am not suggesting that the phrase is not genuine, I am simply pleading that others at least begin to address the issues their interpretation of this phrase creates.
Must Revelation 20 be taken as one unbroken strictly chronological sequence of events? To answer this question in a dogmatically affirmative way would be most unwise. It should be obvious to anyone who has taken the time to carefully study the book of Revelation that many times the events do not run in strictly chronological sequence. I will admit that the overall framework of the book runs in more or less chronological order, but oftentimes the individual visions do not.
For example; Revelation 11 describes the testimony of two witnesses who are to prophesy for forty-two months. We are then told that 'the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pitshall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and shall kill them.' However, this beast which ascends out of the bottomless pit is not introduced or described until chapter 17. Clearly then these events do not run in strict chronological order.
In other cases we are given separate visions which clearly take place within the same period of time. For example, in Revelation 12 we are told of a woman who flees from a great dragon and is hidden in the wilderness for 1260 days. Then in Revelation 13 we read of a great beast who is to wear out the saints for 42 months (or 1260 days). Scholars are in agreement that these chapters both refer to the same time period. No one supposes that these are two separate 1260 day periods which follow each other chronologically. In other words, we are given one vision following another, but they do not run in sequential chronological order. They describe two visions of the same events which take place in the same period of time.
We see this same principle demonstrated again in in Revelation 14-19. In Revelation 14:14-20 we have a vision of a 'harvest'. However, this 'harvest' is simply a symbolical representation and summary of what follows in chapters 15-19. We do not have a literal harvest in Revelation 14 followed chronologically by the events of chapters 15-19. Chapters 15-19 are a separate vision describing the fulfillment of the symbolical representation given in chapter 14; although both visions refer to the same events and the same time period.
Therefore, on the basis of the evidence, the answer to our first question is no - we are not required to read the events of Revelation 20 as one unbroken chronological sequence of events. In fact, given the way other visions in the book of Revelation often appear out of sequence or overlap, we should be prepared to adjust our thinking concerning Revelation 20 should compelling evidence demand that we do so.
Regarding our second question - are there other scriptures which shed more light on the time period described in Revelation 20? If so, wouldn't it be to our benefit to study those carefully and draw conclusions which harmonize all the scriptural data?
Our first answer to this is that we have already provided much in the previous sections to show that the standard evangelical interpretation of Revelation 20 is in error. We believe that the scriptures are clear that the judgment begins immediately following the second return of Christ, and not 1000 years beyond.
However, there is still more evidence which must be examined. It is commonly known to those who study the Bible in its entirety, that there is not much in the book of Revelation which has not been drawn from the Old Testament prophets. The information contained in the last few chapters of the Book of Revelation is mainly drawn from images and visions in the books of Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel.
In a previous section we examined Revelation 20 in light of the information given about the judgment in the book of Daniel. We found that according to Daniel 7, when Christ returns to destroy the antichrist the saints will be given control of the kingdom, and the judgment will begin. We saw that this judgment with its reference to the 'books being opened (Dan 7:10)' is a clear reference to the judgment described in Revelation 20. We are given no information in Daniel 7 which would lead us to believe that the judgment would be delayed by 1000 years.
Similarly, the prophet Isaiah also describes for us the events of Revelation 20. It is from the prophet Isaiah that the images of a 'new heaven and new earth' are taken. These deserve our most careful consideration.
This 'new heaven' and 'new earth' are described in Isaiah chapters 65 and 66.
As we discussed earlier, the strongest objection to our position that the judgment takes place during the 1000 year reign of Christ, is the clause in verse 5 - 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished'. We have shown that every other reference to the judgment either fails to mention this 1000 year gap, or is directly contrary to such a gap. Revelation 11:18 is one such verse. For these reasons we determined that the problematic clause in verse 5 simply does not, and cannot mean that these remain in their graves during this 1000 year period, but instead that they remain in a dying condition throughout that period.
For some, this way of thinking seems like an almost insurmountable obstacle. They would rather use Revelation 20:5 to overturn the united harmonious testimony of many other scriptures than to grant to it any other interpretation than that which is most literal.
This difficulty has its root in the way most people read Revelation 20. They insist that it must be read as an unbroken sequence of events, in strict chronological order which they feel is not open to any further discussion or alternate interpretation. Often when the issue is raised that many may be reading Revelation 20 improperly, we encounter a knee-jerk reaction which insists that it simply cannot be read in any other way.
We readily admit that if Revelation 20 is meant to be understood as one strictly chronological, unbroken series of events, that this would make our position untenable. We allow that if it can be proven by scripture, sound logic, and reason, that the standard evangelical interpretation of Revelation 20 is correct, that our position cannot continue to stand. But we have to ask; where is their proof? Can they advance even onelegitimate objection to our position? We are convinced that they simply have not. We feel beyond this that there is solid, scriptural proof that their view is in error.
We will proceed to ask and attempt to answer three questions about this standard evangelical interpretation. First, are they even justified in reading Revelation 20 as one unbroken, strictly chronological sequence of events - are they justified in telling us that it must be read in this way? Second, are those events described in Revelation 20 spoken of in other scriptures which would throw more light on this subject? And finally, are there any other scriptures which would make the standard evangelical interpretation impossible?
In regard to this first question - is a reading of these events as one unbroken chronological sequence justified - we make no apology for mentioning once again that such a reading brings this passage into collision with many other scriptures and must stand alone its testimony. If others feel that such an interpretation is justified, we at least wish they would be honest enough to address the problems their view creates. As we mentioned earlier, the manuscript evidence for the seemingly problematic phrase in 20:5, 'the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished', proves that it has been controversial in the past. Once again, I am not suggesting that the phrase is not genuine, I am simply pleading that others at least begin to address the issues their interpretation of this phrase creates.
Must Revelation 20 be taken as one unbroken strictly chronological sequence of events? To answer this question in a dogmatically affirmative way would be most unwise. It should be obvious to anyone who has taken the time to carefully study the book of Revelation that many times the events do not run in strictly chronological sequence. I will admit that the overall framework of the book runs in more or less chronological order, but oftentimes the individual visions do not.
For example; Revelation 11 describes the testimony of two witnesses who are to prophesy for forty-two months. We are then told that 'the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pitshall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and shall kill them.' However, this beast which ascends out of the bottomless pit is not introduced or described until chapter 17. Clearly then these events do not run in strict chronological order.
In other cases we are given separate visions which clearly take place within the same period of time. For example, in Revelation 12 we are told of a woman who flees from a great dragon and is hidden in the wilderness for 1260 days. Then in Revelation 13 we read of a great beast who is to wear out the saints for 42 months (or 1260 days). Scholars are in agreement that these chapters both refer to the same time period. No one supposes that these are two separate 1260 day periods which follow each other chronologically. In other words, we are given one vision following another, but they do not run in sequential chronological order. They describe two visions of the same events which take place in the same period of time.
We see this same principle demonstrated again in in Revelation 14-19. In Revelation 14:14-20 we have a vision of a 'harvest'. However, this 'harvest' is simply a symbolical representation and summary of what follows in chapters 15-19. We do not have a literal harvest in Revelation 14 followed chronologically by the events of chapters 15-19. Chapters 15-19 are a separate vision describing the fulfillment of the symbolical representation given in chapter 14; although both visions refer to the same events and the same time period.
Therefore, on the basis of the evidence, the answer to our first question is no - we are not required to read the events of Revelation 20 as one unbroken chronological sequence of events. In fact, given the way other visions in the book of Revelation often appear out of sequence or overlap, we should be prepared to adjust our thinking concerning Revelation 20 should compelling evidence demand that we do so.
Regarding our second question - are there other scriptures which shed more light on the time period described in Revelation 20? If so, wouldn't it be to our benefit to study those carefully and draw conclusions which harmonize all the scriptural data?
Our first answer to this is that we have already provided much in the previous sections to show that the standard evangelical interpretation of Revelation 20 is in error. We believe that the scriptures are clear that the judgment begins immediately following the second return of Christ, and not 1000 years beyond.
However, there is still more evidence which must be examined. It is commonly known to those who study the Bible in its entirety, that there is not much in the book of Revelation which has not been drawn from the Old Testament prophets. The information contained in the last few chapters of the Book of Revelation is mainly drawn from images and visions in the books of Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel.
In a previous section we examined Revelation 20 in light of the information given about the judgment in the book of Daniel. We found that according to Daniel 7, when Christ returns to destroy the antichrist the saints will be given control of the kingdom, and the judgment will begin. We saw that this judgment with its reference to the 'books being opened (Dan 7:10)' is a clear reference to the judgment described in Revelation 20. We are given no information in Daniel 7 which would lead us to believe that the judgment would be delayed by 1000 years.
Similarly, the prophet Isaiah also describes for us the events of Revelation 20. It is from the prophet Isaiah that the images of a 'new heaven and new earth' are taken. These deserve our most careful consideration.
This 'new heaven' and 'new earth' are described in Isaiah chapters 65 and 66.
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Isa 65:17-18
Notice that in this passage from Isaiah 65 that God is creating the new heavens and the new earth. The text literally reads, 'behold I am creating new heavens and a new earth'. What follows in the remainder of Isaiah 65 and through Isaiah 66 is what scholars unanimously agree to be a description of the millennium - or the 1000 year reign of Christ following his return. I encourage anyone with a standard study Bible or evangelical commentary to check this out for themselves. There is little disagreement between scholars that the second half of Isaiah 65 through the end of the book describes the 1000 year reign of Christ.
The clear implication of all this is that the millennium is the time when the new heavens and new earth are being created. We learned earlier that this does not mean a literal new heavens and new earth, but a new righteous government for mankind upon the earth - one which is not subject to the satanic and demonic oppression which we currently suffer. It is during the 1000 year reign of Jesus that these new heavens and new earth are created. We ask that you read Isaiah 65 and 66 very carefully and prayerfully consider these things.
Why is this significant, and what bearing does this have on our reading of Revelation 20? We remember that popular evangelical theology reads Revelation 20 as one unbroken sequential series of events. When we compare such an interpretation with the description of the 'new heavens and new earth' in Isaiah, we should immediately begin to see that once again such an interpretation cannot continue to stand.
If the evangelicals are correct in their reading of Revelation 20, then the present 'heavens and earth' do not flee away until after the 1000 year reign of Christ. To them, the 1000 year reign ends in Revelation 20:10 (see above). This is then followed by the Great White Throne judgment in verse 11 at which point the current heavens and earth 'flee away'. Once again, it does not take a genius to see the difficulty in their interpretation. Isaiah clearly places the creation of the new heavens and the earth within the millennium - the evangelicals place it after the millennium. We must stress that nearly every evangelical commentary is forced to admit that the latter portion of Isaiah 65 through Isaiah 66 is a description of the millennium although they never seem to deal with the difficulties this creates for their interpretation of Revelation 20.
Notice carefully the absolutely beautiful symbolism employed by the book of Revelation. At the beginning of the judgment described in verse 11 we are told that 'heaven and earth flee away, and there is no place found for them'. Notice that as a result of the judgment, every evil person and then death itself will be done away with as described in verses 14 and 15. Immediately following this in Revelation 21:1 we see a 'new heaven and a new earth, the former have passed away'.
At the beginning of the judgment, heaven and earth flee awayand find no place. After the judgment and the destruction of the wicked, the old heaven and earth have passed awayentirely leaving only the new. It is unfortunate that so many read over these passages carelessly not taking into account this symbolism.
The new heavens and the new earth are created by the judgment in which all wickedness will be suppressed, and in which no evil will find a place. The old order is finally and completely done away with by the destruction of every evil thing. It is by the judgment that the old heavens and the old earth are done away with, and the new ones established. Thus immediately following the judgment we read that the old heavens and earth have 'passed away' entirely leaving only the new.
When we compare the descriptions of the new heavens and new earth given in both Revelation and Isaiah we are left with one absolutely incontrovertible conclusion . The Great White Throne judgment, and thus the time when the new heavens and new earth are created take place within the millennium, during the 1000 year reign of Christ with his saints. It is from this reign and judgment that the old heavens and earth will 'flee away'. There will be no place found in Christ's kingdom for any wicked person who stands in opposition to God's rule. It is by the judgment during this time that the all the wicked will be eternally destroyed, thus leaving only a new heaven and a new earth.
We must conclude, based on overwhelming scriptural evidence, that the popular interpretation of Revelation 20 is in error. It is impossible to read Revelation 20 as one continuous unbroken chronological sequence without bringing it into clear and irreconcilable contradiction to other scriptures.
Then in what order should we view the events described in Revelation 20? The answer is profoundly simple. In fact, it is so simple that the only way to miss it is to completely ignore everything else said in the prophets concerning the final judgment of mankind. Let us first of all illustrate the way evangelicals view Revelation 20.
The clear implication of all this is that the millennium is the time when the new heavens and new earth are being created. We learned earlier that this does not mean a literal new heavens and new earth, but a new righteous government for mankind upon the earth - one which is not subject to the satanic and demonic oppression which we currently suffer. It is during the 1000 year reign of Jesus that these new heavens and new earth are created. We ask that you read Isaiah 65 and 66 very carefully and prayerfully consider these things.
Why is this significant, and what bearing does this have on our reading of Revelation 20? We remember that popular evangelical theology reads Revelation 20 as one unbroken sequential series of events. When we compare such an interpretation with the description of the 'new heavens and new earth' in Isaiah, we should immediately begin to see that once again such an interpretation cannot continue to stand.
If the evangelicals are correct in their reading of Revelation 20, then the present 'heavens and earth' do not flee away until after the 1000 year reign of Christ. To them, the 1000 year reign ends in Revelation 20:10 (see above). This is then followed by the Great White Throne judgment in verse 11 at which point the current heavens and earth 'flee away'. Once again, it does not take a genius to see the difficulty in their interpretation. Isaiah clearly places the creation of the new heavens and the earth within the millennium - the evangelicals place it after the millennium. We must stress that nearly every evangelical commentary is forced to admit that the latter portion of Isaiah 65 through Isaiah 66 is a description of the millennium although they never seem to deal with the difficulties this creates for their interpretation of Revelation 20.
Notice carefully the absolutely beautiful symbolism employed by the book of Revelation. At the beginning of the judgment described in verse 11 we are told that 'heaven and earth flee away, and there is no place found for them'. Notice that as a result of the judgment, every evil person and then death itself will be done away with as described in verses 14 and 15. Immediately following this in Revelation 21:1 we see a 'new heaven and a new earth, the former have passed away'.
At the beginning of the judgment, heaven and earth flee awayand find no place. After the judgment and the destruction of the wicked, the old heaven and earth have passed awayentirely leaving only the new. It is unfortunate that so many read over these passages carelessly not taking into account this symbolism.
The new heavens and the new earth are created by the judgment in which all wickedness will be suppressed, and in which no evil will find a place. The old order is finally and completely done away with by the destruction of every evil thing. It is by the judgment that the old heavens and the old earth are done away with, and the new ones established. Thus immediately following the judgment we read that the old heavens and earth have 'passed away' entirely leaving only the new.
When we compare the descriptions of the new heavens and new earth given in both Revelation and Isaiah we are left with one absolutely incontrovertible conclusion . The Great White Throne judgment, and thus the time when the new heavens and new earth are created take place within the millennium, during the 1000 year reign of Christ with his saints. It is from this reign and judgment that the old heavens and earth will 'flee away'. There will be no place found in Christ's kingdom for any wicked person who stands in opposition to God's rule. It is by the judgment during this time that the all the wicked will be eternally destroyed, thus leaving only a new heaven and a new earth.
We must conclude, based on overwhelming scriptural evidence, that the popular interpretation of Revelation 20 is in error. It is impossible to read Revelation 20 as one continuous unbroken chronological sequence without bringing it into clear and irreconcilable contradiction to other scriptures.
Then in what order should we view the events described in Revelation 20? The answer is profoundly simple. In fact, it is so simple that the only way to miss it is to completely ignore everything else said in the prophets concerning the final judgment of mankind. Let us first of all illustrate the way evangelicals view Revelation 20.
|
Binding of |
Millennium |
Satan Released |
Great White throne Judgment |
Lake of Fire |
Standard Evangelical Interpretation of Revelation 20 - One Unbroken, Chronological Sequence of Events
Such a scheme places the creation of the new heavens and new earth after the millennium. Isaiah places this creation within the millennium. What is the solution?
Simple. What we have in Revelation 20 is not one continuous sequence of events, but TWO visions of the same period of time.
The first vision is from verses 1-10, and the second from verses 11 -15. Thus we have:
First vision of the millennium:
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 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.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
This concludes the first vision. Then follows the second vision symbolically describing the same period of time:
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Thus we would illustrate Revelation 20 like this:
| First Vision: Rev 20:1-10 |
Binding of |
Millennium |
Satan Released |
|
Second Vision Rev 20:11-15 |
Great White throne Judgment |
||
Interpretation Showing Revelation 20 as Two Visions of the Millennium
Reread Revelation 20 keeping in mind that there is a clean break between visions after verse 10. Verse 11 through the end of the chapter sets forth another vision in symbolical language describing the exact same period of time as verses 1-10.
This view harmonizes the entire counsel of the word of God concerning the timing of the last judgment. The last great judgment of mankind does not follow the 1000 year reign of Christ. The last judgment occurs during the 1000 year reign of Christ.
We asked a third question concerning the standard evangelical view - are there any other scriptures which would make their interpretation impossible? We have offered what we feel is a most convincing body of evidence to show that such an interpretation is indeed in error. However we will proceed to present one final line of evidence; one which we feel places the final nail in the coffin.
This view harmonizes the entire counsel of the word of God concerning the timing of the last judgment. The last great judgment of mankind does not follow the 1000 year reign of Christ. The last judgment occurs during the 1000 year reign of Christ.
We asked a third question concerning the standard evangelical view - are there any other scriptures which would make their interpretation impossible? We have offered what we feel is a most convincing body of evidence to show that such an interpretation is indeed in error. However we will proceed to present one final line of evidence; one which we feel places the final nail in the coffin.
CONCEALING AN OBVIOUS TRUTH?
Without a doubt, one of the first principles of scriptural interpretation is that we must compare scripture with scripture in order to arrive at the truth. Every teacher of the Bible will admit this fact as a self-evident, and will urge their students to study the Bible in this way. If we do not, then the Bible will seem only an endless maze of disjointed passages.
Our view of the judgment is based on a careful and consistent comparison of all prophecies relating to the timing and nature of the final judgment. We seek to harmonize the entire counsel of the word of God. We cannot in good conscience explain away, or relegate to a position of non-importance those passages which will not agree with our position. We feel that this is what popular evangelical dispensational theology has done. Thus we feel compelled to reject it.
Evangelicals give lip service to the notion of sola scriptura. That is, they boldly proclaim that their beliefs are based on the Word of God alone without regard to man-made creeds or traditions. They also give lip service to sound methods of Bible study, the first principle of which we mentioned above - doctrines simply cannot be built on isolated passages of scripture but must be determined by considering the entire counsel of God's word. However, in practice evangelicals have no qualms about discarding these rules when they do not suit their goals.
There is probably no more blatant example of this than in their interpretation of Revelation chapter 20. We have shown from numerous passages how, in our view, scripture demands that the resurrection and final judgment of mankind begin immediately upon Christ's return, and during the millennium. Evangelicals reject this view completely.
It should be obvious that we cannot both be correct. However, we feel that within the context of Revelation 20, God has inserted a 'key' to the correct understanding of the chapter. A simple comparison of scripture with other scripture places this key into its corresponding lock and opens our understanding in such a way that we cannot err. To ignore such a key, and fail to use it to determine whether or not our view is accurate would be both careless and disastrous. It would only serve to show our hypocrisy in claiming the notion of sola scriptua, and our unwillingness to adhere to those principles of Bible study to which we give lip service.
So what is this 'key' to which we are referring?
In Revelation 20, verse 8, God describes for us a great battle which is to take place at the very close of the millennium. He tells us who the enemies of this battle are, what they intend to do, and what their outcome will be. Consider this passage carefully:
Our view of the judgment is based on a careful and consistent comparison of all prophecies relating to the timing and nature of the final judgment. We seek to harmonize the entire counsel of the word of God. We cannot in good conscience explain away, or relegate to a position of non-importance those passages which will not agree with our position. We feel that this is what popular evangelical dispensational theology has done. Thus we feel compelled to reject it.
Evangelicals give lip service to the notion of sola scriptura. That is, they boldly proclaim that their beliefs are based on the Word of God alone without regard to man-made creeds or traditions. They also give lip service to sound methods of Bible study, the first principle of which we mentioned above - doctrines simply cannot be built on isolated passages of scripture but must be determined by considering the entire counsel of God's word. However, in practice evangelicals have no qualms about discarding these rules when they do not suit their goals.
There is probably no more blatant example of this than in their interpretation of Revelation chapter 20. We have shown from numerous passages how, in our view, scripture demands that the resurrection and final judgment of mankind begin immediately upon Christ's return, and during the millennium. Evangelicals reject this view completely.
It should be obvious that we cannot both be correct. However, we feel that within the context of Revelation 20, God has inserted a 'key' to the correct understanding of the chapter. A simple comparison of scripture with other scripture places this key into its corresponding lock and opens our understanding in such a way that we cannot err. To ignore such a key, and fail to use it to determine whether or not our view is accurate would be both careless and disastrous. It would only serve to show our hypocrisy in claiming the notion of sola scriptua, and our unwillingness to adhere to those principles of Bible study to which we give lip service.
So what is this 'key' to which we are referring?
In Revelation 20, verse 8, God describes for us a great battle which is to take place at the very close of the millennium. He tells us who the enemies of this battle are, what they intend to do, and what their outcome will be. Consider this passage carefully:
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 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. Rev 7:8-10
This battle takes place at the very end of the 1000 year reign of Christ. One may wonder how a battle such as this could even take place after Christ has been reigning for 1000 years. We will take up that issue very soon. But first we wish only for the reader to see that such a battle is prophesied to take place after the 1000 year reign of Christ.
We have the names of the enemies, Gog and Magog. We are told what they will try to do; revolt and take the beloved city (i.e. Jerusalem). Lastly we are told what their fate will be; fire comes down from heaven and devours them.
How is this the key to understanding the correct timing of Revelation 20? Simple. This same battle is described elsewhere in scripture, and in a context so clear that we cannot possibly err in what believe concerning the timing of the second resurrection; that is unless we choose reject the clear evidence which God gives us.
This same battle is described in the 38th chapter of Ezekiel which we present here for convenience. Please take your time and read this passage carefully:
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.Ezek 38:1-23
Here we have described for us in greater detail the same enemies by name; Gog and Magog. We see the exact same intent, the exact same revolt, and the exact same outcome as those events described in the book of Revelation. A side by side comparison of these two passages is most helpful:
| From Ezekiel | From Revelation |
| Set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog | Gog and Magog |
| Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought | Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth |
| After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. | They went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city |
| And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land | The number of whom is as the sand of the sea |
| I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone | And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. |
Can anyone reasonably deny that these two passages were meant to be parallels of each other? Can anyone deny that it was not the intention of the inspired vision of Revelation 20 to send us back to the Old Testament seeking further details about this last great battle of Gog and Magog? The description of this battle in Ezekiel 38 is more lengthy and detailed to be sure; but can anyone reasonably deny that these passages were meant to be understood together?
Someone who is not schooled in systematic theology might inquire as to why such questions even need to be asked. If we truly adhere to the principle that truth is determined by comparing scripture with scripture, then it should be obvious that these two passages describe the same events. This should not even be open to any serious questioning.
It should then come as the utmost shock to learn that not one evangelical theologian that I know of will allow that these two passages are describing the same events. Incredibly they believe that even though the names of the enemies are the same, the description of the battles are the same, and the outcomes are the same, that these passages actually represent two completely different battles separated by over 1000 years.
Why do they do this? We will not take the time or space here to reproduce the comments of evangelical scholars on these two passages. Suffice it to say, that it is seems to us that no argument, no matter how illogical, unfounded, or inane, is off limits to them provided they can sway their readers into believing as they do. We heartily invite all to read the comments of evangelical authors regarding these two passages and consider for yourself whether or not their objections are valid. Decide for yourself whether these two passages are really different, or if they are simply trying to avoid an obvious truth.
It still may be asked, how exactly are these passages the 'lock and key' which opens our understanding about the timing of the book of Revelation and the second resurrection? I beg the reader for patience. To someone who is new to these things the issues may seem complex, but they are very important. Evangelicals realize the importance of these issues and that is why they must go to such lengths to make us believe that these passages are not speaking of the same events.
To try and understand these issues we must back up beyond Ezekiel 38 and try to understand Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel 37 is the key to understanding Ezekiel 38, and Ezekiel 38 is the key to understanding Revelation 20. All these passages then unite to throw a flood of light upon our understanding of the millennium and the judgment.
Ezekiel 38 tells us that the battle of Gog and Magog takes place when the nation of Israel is re-gathered and dwelling safely within its own land. Note what the passage says:
After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates
when my people of Israel dwelleth safely
So note carefully, the battle of Gog and Magog cannot take place until these conditions are satisfied. Israel must be re-gathered back from many nations, and they must dwell safely, and be at peace in their own land. This language is clear and unambiguous. Any attempt to make it say something other than what it says exposes an impure motive for doing so. We are not offering our interpretation of this passage - we are simply believing what it clearly states; Israel must be re-gathered to their own land and be dwelling in peace and safety before the battle of Gog and Magog takes place.
How then is Ezekiel 37 the key to understanding Ezekiel 38? Because Ezekiel 37 describes exactly how the Jewish people attain unto this state of peace and security. Once we determine how they come to be in this state, then we will better understand this battle of 'Gog and Magog'.
Please read the following from Ezekiel 37 very carefully:
How then is Ezekiel 37 the key to understanding Ezekiel 38? Because Ezekiel 37 describes exactly how the Jewish people attain unto this state of peace and security. Once we determine how they come to be in this state, then we will better understand this battle of 'Gog and Magog'.
Please read the following from Ezekiel 37 very carefully:
Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. Ezek 37:12-14
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. Ezek 37:21-24
As we have said, Ezekiel 37 is the key to understanding Ezekiel 38. Here we have absolutely beautiful and precious promises for the nation of Israel. Ezekiel 37 tells us howIsrael is to be re-gathered into their land, and how they will dwell in peace.
We are at an absolutely critical juncture in our discussion which requires a firm answer to a very simple question. That question is - do you really believe what God says in Ezekiel 37? Of course, anyone who claims to be a Christian is bound to answer that question in the affirmative. But when we inquire among evangelicals as to how they reconcile Ezekiel 37 with their beliefs , some very strange answers emerge.
Ezekiel 37 is clear and unambiguous. Israel is not going to dwell safely in their own land until God resurrects the people of Israel from their graves (as he says four times in the chapter) and places them back in their own land. During that time, King David of old, having also been resurrected from the grave, will be a king over them. Again, we are not offering our interpretation of the text, we are only believing what it says.
We remember these solemn words which Jesus spoke to his apostles:
We are at an absolutely critical juncture in our discussion which requires a firm answer to a very simple question. That question is - do you really believe what God says in Ezekiel 37? Of course, anyone who claims to be a Christian is bound to answer that question in the affirmative. But when we inquire among evangelicals as to how they reconcile Ezekiel 37 with their beliefs , some very strange answers emerge.
Ezekiel 37 is clear and unambiguous. Israel is not going to dwell safely in their own land until God resurrects the people of Israel from their graves (as he says four times in the chapter) and places them back in their own land. During that time, King David of old, having also been resurrected from the grave, will be a king over them. Again, we are not offering our interpretation of the text, we are only believing what it says.
We remember these solemn words which Jesus spoke to his apostles:
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matt 19:28
We remember that 'judgment' represents the entire government of God upon earth, as well as the trial in which the fate of all mankind will be determined. When God brings the people of Israel out of their graves in the resurrection, then Jesus, David, and the apostles will be their rulers and their judges. It is only under this administration following the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead that the children of Israel will at last dwell safely in their own land.
It is clear then what brings about the safety and security of Israel in Ezekiel 38; the safety and security against which Gog and Magog will rebel. It is brought about only by the resurrection of the dead, and the righteous government and judgment of God.
Notice then that Ezekiel has placed the resurrection of the nation of Israel before the battle of Gog and Magog. This is why Ezekiel 37 and 38 are the key to our understanding of Revelation 20. A strict chronological reading of Revelation 20 would place the resurrection after the battle of Gog and Magog. Thus we can see that such an interpretation is in error as we have attempted to show. But once we see that Revelation 20 is simply giving two visions of the same period of time (the 1000 year reign of Christ), then there is no difficulty whatsoever. All these scriptures are beautifully harmonious, perfectly clear, and unambiguous.
When Jesus returns, the resurrection and judgment begins immediately. After the kingdom has been firmly established, and a 1000 year reign of righteous judgment in the earth has been completed, there will be one final last great rebellion which is foretold in both Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20:8-9.
But shockingly, evangelical commentators and scholars will have none of this. They tell us that the battle of God and Magog in Ezekiel 38 is not a reference to that which is described in Revelation 20:8-9 at all. They tell us these are two entirely different battles, one before the millennium and one after. Additionally they tell us that the nation of Israel will not really be enjoying peace and safety when Gog and Magog attack them. No, they say that Israel will only imaginethey have peace and safety. But even worse, they tell us that the Bible does not mean what it says in Ezekiel 37; that God would open the graves of the people of Israel and place them in their land. They tell us this represents only a national restoration of Israel as a political entity which began in 1948, not a real literal resurrection. 'Oh', they say, 'this might be a picture of a future resurrection, but the real fulfillment came in 1948.'
One has to ask, why!? Does it not seem that their view ultimately amounts to wholesale rejection of God's Word? Is not the Word of God made of none effect by such interpretations; which are not interpretations at all, but simply an explaining away of the obvious? These men give lip service to the philosophy of sola scripture, but their handling of God's Word betrays them. Aren't these the men who tell us time and again that we must not 'interpret' but believe only what the Bible clearly says? Are not these the ones who tell us that truth must be obtained by comparing scripture with scripture? What are we to make of all this?
What possible reason could there be for such comprehensive rejection of the truths presented in Ezekiel 37 and 38? Quite simply, these two chapters are fatal to their entire system of theology. Evangelical scholars inform us that the only Jews who will be dwelling in Israel during the millennium are those who survive the great tribulation. They do not believe in a literal national resurrection for the nation of Israel at all, let alone one which takes place during the millennium before the battle of Gog and Magog. Why can they not accept this? Once again because their strict unbroken chronological interpretation of Revelation 20 will not allow them to! (Can anyone say 'mental block'?) But we have shown time and again that such an interpretation of Revelation 20 is simply not valid. Why do they refuse to adjust their thinking?
We feel that their reasons run much deeper. For if they allow the resurrection and judgment to take place before the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ, then it becomes obvious that the 'sheep and goats judgment', the 'great white throne judgment', and the 1000 year reign of Christ must all represent the same thing. But - and follow this carefully - they must reject this for one simple reason - a reason which is the root of all their unbelief; They cannot bring themselves to allow that there will still be people saved after the first resurrection and during the judgment. This would obviously lead to the conclusion that not all in the final judgment are lost as they so boldly assert, and this is a conclusion which they simply cannot allow. Simply put, if they allow that Ezekiel 37 and 38 mean what they say, their entire system of Biblical interpretation is jeopardized.
That is quite a statement, but upon examining the comments of dozens of Evangelical scholars it becomes a painfully obvious reality. They 'spiritualize' all of Ezekiel 37 so that the resurrection spoken of there means only a national restoration which they say was fulfilled in 1948. It seems to not bother them in the least that God says four times in that very chapter that he will 'open the graves' of the children of Israel and place them back in their own land.
Additionally, the word of God is clear that Israel will be dwelling safely in their own land when Gog and Magog come against them. Instead of seeing in this an obvious reference to the millennium and a cross-reference to Revelation 20, they once again spiritualize the passage to mean that Israel will not be enjoying real peace and safety, but only an imagined peace and safety. In light of the headlines we see nearly every day concerning the nation of Israel we have to wonder how anyone can possibly take such an interpretation seriously. I find it hard to believe that any Israeli citizen even imaginesthat they are currently dwelling in peace and security. Last, they say that Gog and Magog do not refer at all to the Gog and Magog of Revelation 20, but represent nations which will make war with Israel before Christ's second coming.
A comment on the phrase 'Gog and Magog' in Revelation 20 from the Bible Knowledge Commentary is most enlightening:
It is clear then what brings about the safety and security of Israel in Ezekiel 38; the safety and security against which Gog and Magog will rebel. It is brought about only by the resurrection of the dead, and the righteous government and judgment of God.
Notice then that Ezekiel has placed the resurrection of the nation of Israel before the battle of Gog and Magog. This is why Ezekiel 37 and 38 are the key to our understanding of Revelation 20. A strict chronological reading of Revelation 20 would place the resurrection after the battle of Gog and Magog. Thus we can see that such an interpretation is in error as we have attempted to show. But once we see that Revelation 20 is simply giving two visions of the same period of time (the 1000 year reign of Christ), then there is no difficulty whatsoever. All these scriptures are beautifully harmonious, perfectly clear, and unambiguous.
When Jesus returns, the resurrection and judgment begins immediately. After the kingdom has been firmly established, and a 1000 year reign of righteous judgment in the earth has been completed, there will be one final last great rebellion which is foretold in both Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20:8-9.
But shockingly, evangelical commentators and scholars will have none of this. They tell us that the battle of God and Magog in Ezekiel 38 is not a reference to that which is described in Revelation 20:8-9 at all. They tell us these are two entirely different battles, one before the millennium and one after. Additionally they tell us that the nation of Israel will not really be enjoying peace and safety when Gog and Magog attack them. No, they say that Israel will only imaginethey have peace and safety. But even worse, they tell us that the Bible does not mean what it says in Ezekiel 37; that God would open the graves of the people of Israel and place them in their land. They tell us this represents only a national restoration of Israel as a political entity which began in 1948, not a real literal resurrection. 'Oh', they say, 'this might be a picture of a future resurrection, but the real fulfillment came in 1948.'
One has to ask, why!? Does it not seem that their view ultimately amounts to wholesale rejection of God's Word? Is not the Word of God made of none effect by such interpretations; which are not interpretations at all, but simply an explaining away of the obvious? These men give lip service to the philosophy of sola scripture, but their handling of God's Word betrays them. Aren't these the men who tell us time and again that we must not 'interpret' but believe only what the Bible clearly says? Are not these the ones who tell us that truth must be obtained by comparing scripture with scripture? What are we to make of all this?
What possible reason could there be for such comprehensive rejection of the truths presented in Ezekiel 37 and 38? Quite simply, these two chapters are fatal to their entire system of theology. Evangelical scholars inform us that the only Jews who will be dwelling in Israel during the millennium are those who survive the great tribulation. They do not believe in a literal national resurrection for the nation of Israel at all, let alone one which takes place during the millennium before the battle of Gog and Magog. Why can they not accept this? Once again because their strict unbroken chronological interpretation of Revelation 20 will not allow them to! (Can anyone say 'mental block'?) But we have shown time and again that such an interpretation of Revelation 20 is simply not valid. Why do they refuse to adjust their thinking?
We feel that their reasons run much deeper. For if they allow the resurrection and judgment to take place before the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ, then it becomes obvious that the 'sheep and goats judgment', the 'great white throne judgment', and the 1000 year reign of Christ must all represent the same thing. But - and follow this carefully - they must reject this for one simple reason - a reason which is the root of all their unbelief; They cannot bring themselves to allow that there will still be people saved after the first resurrection and during the judgment. This would obviously lead to the conclusion that not all in the final judgment are lost as they so boldly assert, and this is a conclusion which they simply cannot allow. Simply put, if they allow that Ezekiel 37 and 38 mean what they say, their entire system of Biblical interpretation is jeopardized.
That is quite a statement, but upon examining the comments of dozens of Evangelical scholars it becomes a painfully obvious reality. They 'spiritualize' all of Ezekiel 37 so that the resurrection spoken of there means only a national restoration which they say was fulfilled in 1948. It seems to not bother them in the least that God says four times in that very chapter that he will 'open the graves' of the children of Israel and place them back in their own land.
Additionally, the word of God is clear that Israel will be dwelling safely in their own land when Gog and Magog come against them. Instead of seeing in this an obvious reference to the millennium and a cross-reference to Revelation 20, they once again spiritualize the passage to mean that Israel will not be enjoying real peace and safety, but only an imagined peace and safety. In light of the headlines we see nearly every day concerning the nation of Israel we have to wonder how anyone can possibly take such an interpretation seriously. I find it hard to believe that any Israeli citizen even imaginesthat they are currently dwelling in peace and security. Last, they say that Gog and Magog do not refer at all to the Gog and Magog of Revelation 20, but represent nations which will make war with Israel before Christ's second coming.
A comment on the phrase 'Gog and Magog' in Revelation 20 from the Bible Knowledge Commentary is most enlightening:
Why then is this expression 'Gog and Magog' used by John? The scriptures do not explain the expression. In fact it can be dropped out of the sentence without changing the meaning. Bible Knowledge Commentary, Vol. 2 pg. 981 (emphasis mine)
Well there's a wonderful piece of advice. When you come to something in scripture which you cannot understand or seems to contradict your view, simply ignore it! (I am, of course being sarcastic)
We must admit that we are shocked when supposedly orthodox Christian scholars suggest that the words of scripture are so insignificant that they can simply be 'dropped' from a sentence. The authors of this commentary want their readers to believe that Revelation 20 has nothing to do with Ezekiel 38. Since the phrase Gog and Magog leads the reader to draw a conclusion fatal to their interpretation, they pretend to have no idea why John would use this phrase here and thus suggest that we simply ignore it.
May I suggest a better course of action? I propose that since the authors of the Bible Knowledge Commentary apparently have no intention of interpreting Bible honestly, that we believe the word of God and ignore them!
It is simply not true that the phrase 'Gog and Magog' can be removed from Revelation 20:8 without changing the meaning. This violates the text and erases the inspired cross reference which God has given so that we will not err in our interpretation. We can however see why the Bible Knowledge commentary suggests that the phrase be ignored - it is entirely fatal to their interpretation of Revelation 20.
When supposedly orthodox scholars handle the Word of God in such a way in order to maintain their view, you can be sure that what they believe stands on a teetering foundation. We must stress that evangelical scholars are forced into their 'interpretation' of these passages because their theology demands that they do so. Simply believing what these passages say is fatal to their position. At the same time these men would accuse us of teaching a dangerous heresy. We ask the reader to be the judge of how valid such accusations are. We ask you to weigh their interpretations carefully against the clear and united testimony of scripture and then decide what is right by your conscience, and not by prejudice or emotion.
We have presented the evidence for our view that the final judgment of mankind begins immediately following the return of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom. We believe we have shown beyond reasonable doubt that this judgment IS the 1000 year reign of Christ with his saints. We believe to have presented facts which prove that a strict chronological reading of Revelation 20 is an error which continues to foster an improper view of the final judgment. We believe to have presented solid evidence that such a reading cannot be maintained without a flat denial of what the prophets say concerning the final judgment. We believe that the scriptures are unambiguous that not all in the final judgment are lost. We have answered what we feel is every valid objection to our view.
Upon this foundation we will proceed to discuss the absolutely unfathomable meaning which this judgment presents for the human race.
We must admit that we are shocked when supposedly orthodox Christian scholars suggest that the words of scripture are so insignificant that they can simply be 'dropped' from a sentence. The authors of this commentary want their readers to believe that Revelation 20 has nothing to do with Ezekiel 38. Since the phrase Gog and Magog leads the reader to draw a conclusion fatal to their interpretation, they pretend to have no idea why John would use this phrase here and thus suggest that we simply ignore it.
May I suggest a better course of action? I propose that since the authors of the Bible Knowledge Commentary apparently have no intention of interpreting Bible honestly, that we believe the word of God and ignore them!
It is simply not true that the phrase 'Gog and Magog' can be removed from Revelation 20:8 without changing the meaning. This violates the text and erases the inspired cross reference which God has given so that we will not err in our interpretation. We can however see why the Bible Knowledge commentary suggests that the phrase be ignored - it is entirely fatal to their interpretation of Revelation 20.
When supposedly orthodox scholars handle the Word of God in such a way in order to maintain their view, you can be sure that what they believe stands on a teetering foundation. We must stress that evangelical scholars are forced into their 'interpretation' of these passages because their theology demands that they do so. Simply believing what these passages say is fatal to their position. At the same time these men would accuse us of teaching a dangerous heresy. We ask the reader to be the judge of how valid such accusations are. We ask you to weigh their interpretations carefully against the clear and united testimony of scripture and then decide what is right by your conscience, and not by prejudice or emotion.
We have presented the evidence for our view that the final judgment of mankind begins immediately following the return of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom. We believe we have shown beyond reasonable doubt that this judgment IS the 1000 year reign of Christ with his saints. We believe to have presented facts which prove that a strict chronological reading of Revelation 20 is an error which continues to foster an improper view of the final judgment. We believe to have presented solid evidence that such a reading cannot be maintained without a flat denial of what the prophets say concerning the final judgment. We believe that the scriptures are unambiguous that not all in the final judgment are lost. We have answered what we feel is every valid objection to our view.
Upon this foundation we will proceed to discuss the absolutely unfathomable meaning which this judgment presents for the human race.
AN AMAZING BUT NEGLECTED PROPHECY
To many, this idea that all the millions of dead throughout the ages will be raised during the reign of Christ and his faithful followers will come as a new idea. The scriptures are however abundantly clear if we will simply search out the truth, then be faithful to believe what we read. We remember earlier that Christ promised that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for those cities who rejected his preaching. We also saw how our modern teachings twist the passage to teach that there are degrees of punishment in hell, when the Bible says no such thing. These teachers believe that ALL in the ancient city of Sodom are damned and will be punished eternally. Is this what the Bible really says?
Incredibly, the very answer to this question is given in an amazing Old Testament prophecy, but oddly, it is never taught in our Churches, and is strangely absent from our theology books. In examining the notes of five different study Bibles, the silence on the passage is unanimous. The prophecy can be found in Ezekiel chapter 16. I would invite the reader to get their own Bible and consider for yourself what God says.
In this prophecy, God is rebuking Israel for their idolatry despite the immense favor they had been shown. The Lord relates how he took them when they were nothing, clothed them, fed them, nurtured them, and how they grew to be a mighty nation. But in spite of all this, they turned their backs and went and worshiped idols. God tells of the punishment which was to befall them because they had forsaken Him:
Incredibly, the very answer to this question is given in an amazing Old Testament prophecy, but oddly, it is never taught in our Churches, and is strangely absent from our theology books. In examining the notes of five different study Bibles, the silence on the passage is unanimous. The prophecy can be found in Ezekiel chapter 16. I would invite the reader to get their own Bible and consider for yourself what God says.
In this prophecy, God is rebuking Israel for their idolatry despite the immense favor they had been shown. The Lord relates how he took them when they were nothing, clothed them, fed them, nurtured them, and how they grew to be a mighty nation. But in spite of all this, they turned their backs and went and worshiped idols. God tells of the punishment which was to befall them because they had forsaken Him:
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more. Ezek 16:36-41
Then the prophecy goes on to relate the sins of Sodom and Samaria with whom Israel had "played the harlot". However, an amazing thing happens. God doesn't condemn these cities the way some might expect. Notice:
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done. Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters. Ezek 16:48-52
As far as God was concerned, Sodom and Samaria were more righteous than Israel; they hadn't even committed HALF of what the Jews had done! How could this be? Because the Israelites were much more accountable to God having been shown so much more favor than the wicked nations around them. Now, notice carefully how this ties right in with Jesus' words about it being more tolerable in the day of judgment for some than for others who had rejected his preaching. The principle is the same in both instances. The more light a nation had been shown, the more accountable they were to Jesus in the day of judgment.
After recounting Israel's sins, and stating that in His view Sodom and Samaria were more righteous, what does God say the outcome will be? Does he then condemn them all to hell or to eternal destruction? Does he say that these Jews most suffer more than Sodom and Samaria? Are we prepared to believe what God says about the fate of these nations, even if it goes against what we have been taught to believe?
Get your Bible and read Ezekiel 16:53-55. Please don't take my word for it, READ IT:
After recounting Israel's sins, and stating that in His view Sodom and Samaria were more righteous, what does God say the outcome will be? Does he then condemn them all to hell or to eternal destruction? Does he say that these Jews most suffer more than Sodom and Samaria? Are we prepared to believe what God says about the fate of these nations, even if it goes against what we have been taught to believe?
Get your Bible and read Ezekiel 16:53-55. Please don't take my word for it, READ IT:
When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. Ezek 16:53-55
Let the Bible speak for itself: When the Jews are re-gathered into their land, God will also bring the Sodomites and those of Samaria back into their lands surrounding them. Why does God do this? So that Israel can see and bear their shame, in that they judged their surrounding nations when they themselves had sinned even worse. But more still, that they may be ashamed when they are made a COMFORT to Sodom and Samaria. Look at the passage! That is what YOUR Bible says! The NASB is even clearer:
...in order that you may bear your humiliation, and feel ashamed for all that you have done when you become a consolation to them.Ezek 16:54
This is precisely why it is MORE TOLERABLE for Sodom in the day of judgment than for those who rejected Christ. The Israelites felt they were so much better off simply because they were Jews, but in rejecting Christ, they had sinned far worse than Sodom ever had. This passage from Ezekiel is clearly what Jesus had in mind and alluded to when he spoke those words. Why are these things never taught and preached? The entire teaching has absolutely no bearing on the pagan doctrine of hell, but rather on who will have an easier time when Christ gathers all nations before him when he comes and sets up his kingdom. But in the case of both the wicked Israelites, and the Sodomites, the re-gathering of them back into their lands is for a purpose, and it's clearly one of restitution.
God is absolutely just. While many in our day believe that Israel will be restored during Jesus' kingdom, they simply cannot fathom that God would restore Sodom. However the reasoning here displays the absolute justice of God. If God is to restore Israel then could he do less for those nations which were so much less accountable?
It seems as though the commentaries are simply in a quandary about what to do with this passage. The Knowledge Bible Commentary says:
God is absolutely just. While many in our day believe that Israel will be restored during Jesus' kingdom, they simply cannot fathom that God would restore Sodom. However the reasoning here displays the absolute justice of God. If God is to restore Israel then could he do less for those nations which were so much less accountable?
It seems as though the commentaries are simply in a quandary about what to do with this passage. The Knowledge Bible Commentary says:
Ezekiel was speaking of the national restoration of these cities (Sodom and Samaria) in the millennium. Evidently Sodom will be rebuilt at this time. (vol. 1 pg. 1258)
Notice how they attempt to pull off the same trick they use in Ezekiel 38. They insist that the passage isn't really referring to those Sodomites God destroyed, but only a "national restoration" (ho-hum). In the same way, in Ezekiel 38 where God states four times that when he brings again the captivity of Israel he OPENS THEIR GRAVES and puts them in their land, they say that the prophecy was fulfilled in the national restoration of Israel in 1948.
But here, such logic gets caught in its own trap. They might get away with fooling someone into thinking that the restoration of Ezekiel 38 is simply a national restoration because there were still nationally identifiable Jews alive in 1948. However, there are no nationally identifiable Sodomites alive now, nor have there been since God destroyed those cities! How do you "bring again the captivity" of a nation of people that are all dead unless by resurrection? The people of Sodom are not scattered as captives among the nations, they are all dead! The only way God can bring them from captivity is in the resurrection; bringing them from the captivity of death to which all generations have gone.
What kind of "national restoration" would you have without one single citizen either from that nation, or even descended from that nation?! Doing so would be nothing more than a meaningless show. Does the Knowledge Bible Commentary offer any explanation as to WHY Sodom must be rebuilt? Of course not. Having consigned them all to hell with no future hope, they have no answers.
The Bible is clear. Theses nations are resurrected WITH THE JEWS IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. What is not so clear is why we simply refuse to believe it.
Not even the most vivid imagination is capable of giving this amazing prophecy any past fulfillment. Sodom has been a wasteland since they day God destroyed it, and a good portion of where it once was is thought to be under the sea. The prophecy remains for a future time, the restitution of all things, and the day of Judgment.
But here, such logic gets caught in its own trap. They might get away with fooling someone into thinking that the restoration of Ezekiel 38 is simply a national restoration because there were still nationally identifiable Jews alive in 1948. However, there are no nationally identifiable Sodomites alive now, nor have there been since God destroyed those cities! How do you "bring again the captivity" of a nation of people that are all dead unless by resurrection? The people of Sodom are not scattered as captives among the nations, they are all dead! The only way God can bring them from captivity is in the resurrection; bringing them from the captivity of death to which all generations have gone.
What kind of "national restoration" would you have without one single citizen either from that nation, or even descended from that nation?! Doing so would be nothing more than a meaningless show. Does the Knowledge Bible Commentary offer any explanation as to WHY Sodom must be rebuilt? Of course not. Having consigned them all to hell with no future hope, they have no answers.
The Bible is clear. Theses nations are resurrected WITH THE JEWS IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. What is not so clear is why we simply refuse to believe it.
Not even the most vivid imagination is capable of giving this amazing prophecy any past fulfillment. Sodom has been a wasteland since they day God destroyed it, and a good portion of where it once was is thought to be under the sea. The prophecy remains for a future time, the restitution of all things, and the day of Judgment.
A CLOSER LOOK AT REVELATION 20
Earlier we considered that Revelation 20:5 seemed to go contrary to what we believed other passages clearly teach:
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. Rev 20:5a
Having carefully examined the unified testimony of Jesus and the prophets concerning the timing of the judgment, I believe it is not possible to take this statement in the strictest literal sense; that the dead remain in their graves until after the 1000 years. The fact that Ezekiel clearly states that the whole house of Israel are raised before the battle of Gog and Magog which closes the 1000 year reign of Christ demands this.
So what are we to do with the passage? Many sincere Bible students, with good reason, feel that the passage is spurious, and therefore do not regard it as part of inspired scripture. It's commonly argued that the statement appears to be comment that someone wrote into the text, and was later copied in by a scribe. In fact, if we read the context in which it appears, but remove the clause, the passage seems to make more sense:
So what are we to do with the passage? Many sincere Bible students, with good reason, feel that the passage is spurious, and therefore do not regard it as part of inspired scripture. It's commonly argued that the statement appears to be comment that someone wrote into the text, and was later copied in by a scribe. In fact, if we read the context in which it appears, but remove the clause, the passage seems to make more sense:
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Rev 20:4-6
When we read Revelation 20 in this way, we see that instead of portraying a sequence of events in chronological order (the binding of Satan, the first resurrection, the 1000 year reign, the battle of Gog and Magog, the raising of the "rest of the dead" and lastly the great white throne judgment) we have instead one grand picture of the judgment, but from two different views.
In other words, John first gives details of this time: A time when Satan is bound so as not to deceive the nations. A time when Christ and the faithful reign. A time when the Jews will dwell in "the beloved city". But he also tells of the great trial and test which closes it; a time when Satan is released to go forth and deceive the nations, and their ultimate doom.
After this, John gives a second picture of the judgment from the perspective of heaven. A time when all the dead are raised to be judged according to their works, and a time which separates those who ultimately will be found written in the book of life, and those who don't. Both pictures refer to the same event, a method which is used frequently throughout the book of Revelation.
Remember Jesus' words:
In other words, John first gives details of this time: A time when Satan is bound so as not to deceive the nations. A time when Christ and the faithful reign. A time when the Jews will dwell in "the beloved city". But he also tells of the great trial and test which closes it; a time when Satan is released to go forth and deceive the nations, and their ultimate doom.
After this, John gives a second picture of the judgment from the perspective of heaven. A time when all the dead are raised to be judged according to their works, and a time which separates those who ultimately will be found written in the book of life, and those who don't. Both pictures refer to the same event, a method which is used frequently throughout the book of Revelation.
Remember Jesus' words:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
If the Great White Throne isn't the "throne of his glory", then where in Revelation is the "throne of his glory" mentioned? Or isn't it mentioned at all?
Some object by saying that the great white throne judgment cannot take place on earth, because "heaven and earth have fled away". We mustn't forget that we're reading highly symbolic and apocalyptic language. In response to this, I could ask a similar question: If the Great White Throne Judgment doesn't take place on earth, and it doesn't take place in the heavens, then where does it take place? It can't take place floating in space. Outer space is "the heavens".
A logical explanation will come, as always, from comparing scripture with scripture. Consider from Isaiah:
Some object by saying that the great white throne judgment cannot take place on earth, because "heaven and earth have fled away". We mustn't forget that we're reading highly symbolic and apocalyptic language. In response to this, I could ask a similar question: If the Great White Throne Judgment doesn't take place on earth, and it doesn't take place in the heavens, then where does it take place? It can't take place floating in space. Outer space is "the heavens".
A logical explanation will come, as always, from comparing scripture with scripture. Consider from Isaiah:
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. Isa 65:17-20
When is God seen creating the new heavens and the new earth? What time does the later portion of the above passage describe? These words clearly point to the 1000 year reign of Christ as most scholars would agree. But notice, during this time God is creating the new heavens and the new earth. The symbolism involved here is beautiful. At the beginning of the 1000 year reign the current heavens and earth flee away, not literally, but in the sense that the old order of the heavens under satanic control, and the old order of the earth under the rebellious control of our earth's leaders are done away with, and no place is found for them. Satan which had control of the heavens is bound for 1000 years, and the nations are ruled "with a rod of iron". In this way the 'heavens' and the 'earth' 'flee away'. The time of the judgment is the time when the new heavens (God's Government) and the new earth (under control of the nation of Israel) are created. The time of the judgment, or the 1000 year reign is the time when the old heavens and the old earth do indeed flee away, but they will not be fully done away with, or the new fully established until Christ finishes his reign.
Notice:
Notice:
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Rev 20:15-21:1
The new heavens and the new earth are seen after the last one not found written in the book of life is destroyed. We read before the judgment that heaven and earth "flee away", and then after the judgment that they have "passed away". Notice how perfectly this corresponds with Isaiah:
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. 3 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. Isa 66:22-24
The new heavens and the new earth are established by the final and complete destruction of the wicked. Any reasonable person should be able to see that the literal earth and heaven can't be meant; how else does all flesh come and and worship from "one new moon to another", or "look upon the carcasses of those who transgressed against me"?
Also notice what Paul says:
Also notice what Paul says:
For he (Jesus) must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1 Cor 15:25-26
A bit of simple logic and reasoning will prove that Christ's 1000 year reign cannot end before the great white throne judgment. Death isn't cast into the lake of fire until the end of the great white throne judgment. Paul says, "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death". The work of Christ's reign is to put down all enemies until the old heavens and the old earth have passed away, and the new ones established when the last enemy death is destroyed.
So we see that this "great white throne judgment" is another picture of the same information John gives us earlier in Revelation 20, but in more symbolic language. Simply stated, the great white throne judgment" IS the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth with his saints.
As I stated earlier, some feel that removing the phrase "but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" is justified. I however do not feel comfortable in saying that it's not supposed to be in the Bible. Given the stern warnings not to add or take away from the book, I would just as soon let someone else bear the burden if this is in fact what has been done.
Because of this, it's important to note that the phrase in no way contradicts anything we have learned elsewhere, unless it's taken in its strictest most literal sense, and this is something which cannot be done in many places throughout the book of Revelation, as almost everyone should agree.
In John 5 Jesus stated:
So we see that this "great white throne judgment" is another picture of the same information John gives us earlier in Revelation 20, but in more symbolic language. Simply stated, the great white throne judgment" IS the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth with his saints.
As I stated earlier, some feel that removing the phrase "but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" is justified. I however do not feel comfortable in saying that it's not supposed to be in the Bible. Given the stern warnings not to add or take away from the book, I would just as soon let someone else bear the burden if this is in fact what has been done.
Because of this, it's important to note that the phrase in no way contradicts anything we have learned elsewhere, unless it's taken in its strictest most literal sense, and this is something which cannot be done in many places throughout the book of Revelation, as almost everyone should agree.
In John 5 Jesus stated:
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29
Here we see the antithesis between those in the first and second resurrections. Those in the first come forth to life. What life did they come forth to?
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Rev 20:6
When these come forth, they come forth immortal. They cannot die a second time, and as such the "second death" has no power over them.
This is not the case with the second group who come up into judgment. Although they are physically raised during the 1000 years, they cannot be said to have life, or have fully revived because they are still subject to the second death and remain under the death sentence pending judgment. In this respect they cannot be said to "live" or have fully revived until the 1000 years are finished when their trial and judgment are completed. In fact the Greek word used for "lived" is anazao, and literally means to recover life, or revive.
Jesus said:
This is not the case with the second group who come up into judgment. Although they are physically raised during the 1000 years, they cannot be said to have life, or have fully revived because they are still subject to the second death and remain under the death sentence pending judgment. In this respect they cannot be said to "live" or have fully revived until the 1000 years are finished when their trial and judgment are completed. In fact the Greek word used for "lived" is anazao, and literally means to recover life, or revive.
Jesus said:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. John 5:25-27
Who are the dead Jesus was referring to, who would hear his voice in the future and live? Did he mean those in the graves? No, he goes on to say:
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29
When all who are in the graves here the voice of Jesus and come out, those who do not come forth to life in the first resurrection are still reckoned as dead even though they come forth physically during the 1000 year reign of Christ. In that time, the "dead" who hear his voice will live. They will be raised back to perfection and instructed in righteousness during the 1000 year reign of Christ.
CRITERIA FOR JUDGMENT
Returning to the parable of the sheep and the goats, we see what criteria Jesus as the basis for judgment:
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
The pre-millennialists are correct in discerning that this judgment has something to do with the way Christ's "brethren" are treated. However instead of being a picture of how men treat the Jews in the tribulation, what we actually see here is a judgment based on how they are treated during the 1000 year reign, when Israel and all nations have been resurrected.
During this time, Israel is made head of the nations. These are truly Christ's brethren which are referred to in the passage. Currently the Jews have been blinded and the Gentiles been shown favor to provoke them to jealousy. The Jews have have undergone centuries of vicious persecutions at the hands of the gentile nations. Isaiah tells of the time coming when this will cease:
During this time, Israel is made head of the nations. These are truly Christ's brethren which are referred to in the passage. Currently the Jews have been blinded and the Gentiles been shown favor to provoke them to jealousy. The Jews have have undergone centuries of vicious persecutions at the hands of the gentile nations. Isaiah tells of the time coming when this will cease:
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isa 40:1-5
But during the "times of the restitution of all things" Israel is restored to be the head of all the nations. The Gentile nations will be forced to submit to its authority and the Kingdom of Christ on Earth. Those who do, who will learn instruction, will be granted everlasting life at the the end of the judgment. Those who do so grudgingly out of obligation, or not at all will die the second death, or be carried away in Satan's revolt at the end of the 1000 years.
The images in the parable of the treatment of the brethren; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me, clearly refer to the heart attitude of those being judged toward Christ's brethren.
Notice how Isaiah describes those during this coming age:
The images in the parable of the treatment of the brethren; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me, clearly refer to the heart attitude of those being judged toward Christ's brethren.
Notice how Isaiah describes those during this coming age:
Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them. Isa 26:8
This passage is so clear in marking the difference in the heart attitude of those in the judgment. During that time, the inhabitants of the world "learn righteousness". But the wicked refuse to see even though they have been shown favor. Notice that the refuse to see, and let envy devour them. How much clearer our Lord's words become:
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Zechariah tells of the fate which will befall those nations which refuse to submit to the rule of Christ's kingdom:
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. Zech 14:17-19
Notice again here how Jerusalem and the Jews are made the criteria for judgment. The heart attitude of the gentiles will be manifested in their treatment of them, and whether or not they will go up to Jerusalem to worship.
But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.. Mic 4:1-2
How can any deny that the day of judgment is for instructing the nations in righteousness. As Christ said, all nations would be gathered before him, and he would separate them. HOW? By which ones will learn instruction and which ones won't. The humble who will learn and follow the shepherd will prove to be "sheep", whereas the stubborn who refuse instruction will prove to be "goats".
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isa 35:5-10
Isaiah gives us a beautiful picture of the coming kingdom. Notice the "highway" in verse eight. Who is the highway for?
the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein
It is for the wayfaring, those millions of the human race who lost their way, or or never had a chance to hear of the one name given among men whereby they must be saved. Notice that even though the wayfaring ARE FOOLS, they will not err. Why? Because Satan is bound so as to no deceive the nations, and Christ will not cast out anyone who comes to him humbly for mercy.We are also told of the outcome of this time:
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
The scriptures pertaining to this time with Israel as the head of the nations, and hope held out to the Gentiles are so numerous that it's incredible we rarely ever hear them preached. Notice what Peter said:
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. Acts 3:20-21
These times of restitution were the subject of ALL the prophets, why have most never heard these things? Why is it that most Christians couldn't quote one verse pertaining to these times if their life depended on it?
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. Isa 60:1-12
How much clearer can we make it. According to His promises, God makes Israel the head of the nations. But more then this, he makes them the criteria for judgment among the gentiles.
Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. Isa 66:10-11
THE FATE OF THE WICKED
It is difficult to imagine that anyone would resist God's grace after being shown such favor, but unfortunately we are told that some will. As Jesus said, it will be very difficult for some in the day of judgment. As he instructed:
But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.Luke 6:24-25
The judgment is the great leveler of all mankind. The more wrath a man heaps to himself in this lifetime, the more difficult it will be for him in the day of judgment when he is called upon to give an account of every idle word ever spoken. The more gain and wealth people have acquired in this lifetime, the harder it will be for them in that day when they are humbled. Jesus stated:
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Matt 19:24
For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. Mark 4:22
We can see how this will very very difficult for some. Though the same opportunity is held out to all, imagine what it will be like for those through the ages who have hated and persecuted the Jews. Imagine how difficult it will be for those who heard Jesus preach and yet rejected him. Imagine how difficult for those who have spent their life living only for selfish gain and pleasure.Some will simply not wish to be subject to Christ's rule and kingdom. To them, the judgment is a fire which will consume them. According to Isaiah some will die:
"No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred shall be thought accursed. Isa 65:20
The rest of the wicked will be deceived by Satan in the last final test of mankind when he is released to go forth and deceive the nations. At the end of the 1000 years Satan is released. His release will serve to manifest the true heart attitude of those who are rebellious against God and his kingdom after being ransomed from death and shown such favor:
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 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.Rev 20:7-9
After this, all the wicked will have been destroyed. Having died a second time (the second death) no ransom will be given for these, and they will have no hope for a future resurrection. It is by these events that the prophecy of Revelation 20:15 is fulfilled:
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15
How do we know that this isn't a literal lake of fire following the judgment? How do we know that the last great judgment IS the 1000 year reign of Christ and not an event following it? Isaiah prophesies of the same events up until the new heavens and the new earth are established:
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. Isa 66:22-24
The new heavens and earth are established at the slaying of the wicked at the end of the judgment. Notice that the same reference to fire for the wicked is made in all references to the final destruction of the wicked.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Matt 25:41
And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Ezek 38:22
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. Rev 20:9
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15
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.
All these references to fire refer to the same thing, the destruction of the wicked either during the judgment, or when the remainder of the wicked perish in the last great battle.
Please notice that the wicked are DESTROYED, and that these passages have nothing to do with immortal souls burning forever in hellfire. Isaiah makes it perfectly clear that the fire and the worms feed on corpses not on immortal souls. The unquenchable fire, and the lake of fire indicate that the final condition of the wicked is permanent, and one from which they will not be recovered. As we learn elsewhere:
Please notice that the wicked are DESTROYED, and that these passages have nothing to do with immortal souls burning forever in hellfire. Isaiah makes it perfectly clear that the fire and the worms feed on corpses not on immortal souls. The unquenchable fire, and the lake of fire indicate that the final condition of the wicked is permanent, and one from which they will not be recovered. As we learn elsewhere:
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. Mal 4:1-3
What is most important to remember, is that all that perish in final judgment do so willingly, knowing what they are doing. All will be given a chance to repent and make restitution. No one who comes to Christ and humbly asks for forgiveness and mercy will be cast out:
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?Ezek 18:20-23
THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.Matt12:31-32
"The Unpardonable Sin" has confused and troubled many sincere students of God's Word. A discussion of it is very important to our study of the judgment because of the soberness of Jesus' warning.
Someone will ask: Are there any in this life who are so wicked as to not merit a second chance? Given Jesus' clear warning in Matthew 12:31-32, we must answer, yes.
First of all, notice how misunderstood this passage is. Notice the reference to sin being forgiven in the world to come. Have you ever heard anyone explain to you what that meant? Only a proper understanding of the future judgment makes sense out of the passage.
Some men will die in their sins. As Jesus said:
Someone will ask: Are there any in this life who are so wicked as to not merit a second chance? Given Jesus' clear warning in Matthew 12:31-32, we must answer, yes.
First of all, notice how misunderstood this passage is. Notice the reference to sin being forgiven in the world to come. Have you ever heard anyone explain to you what that meant? Only a proper understanding of the future judgment makes sense out of the passage.
Some men will die in their sins. As Jesus said:
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. John 8:24
As Christians, we know that when we accepted Christ as our savior, God cleansed us from our sins based on the merit of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf, and that this same sacrifice continually cleanses us as we daily confess our sins to God who is faithful and just to forgive us. Christians do not die in their sins. This however is not the case for the majority of mankind. We have been told time and again from our pulpits that those who "die in their sins" are lost. This is simply not what the Bible teaches. Notice the words of the apostle Paul:
Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. 1 Tim 5:24
For the Christian, their sins are already judged, confessed and forgiven. For this reason, a Christian who is faithful in confessing his sins and abiding in faith will not come into judgment with the world. This however is not the case for the majority of mankind. For the majority, their sins "follow after" into judgment. The come up into a "resurrection of judgment". We have seen that this time is not one of condemnation, but of restitution. Because faith is not needed or required in that day (because Christ and his kingdom are present) this restitution must be made by works and this is brought out exactly in the parable of the sheep and goats. Do we know what the exact nature of these works will be? We are not told specifically. What we are told is that it will definitely be more tolerable for some than for others in that day, based on the amount of sin they committed in this life, as well as the amount of light they rejected. Every idle word a man speaks will need to be accounted for in that day.
The good news is that Christ says "all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men". It can not only be forgiven in this world, but also in the world to come. Have you ever thought about that? In the world to come, the 1000 year reign of Christ, there will still be sin present in the world. Why? Because the majority of mankind will awaken in their sins the same way they died. Only by repentance, restitution, and instruction in righteousness will these eventually be brought back to eternal life. But Jesus is clear; all manner of sin and blasphemy CAN be forgiven, not only in this world, but in the world to come.
There is however one particular sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which Jesus says will NEVER be forgiven, not now, nor in the day of judgment. Before considering what this sin might be, let's be clear about what it isn't.
It clearly doesn't refer to the masses of humanity, who although totally heathen, have never heard the gospel, and sin in ignorance. God himself said that the people of Sodom were more righteous than than the Israelites who sinned even though they had been given such great light, and shown such favor. Even the apostle Paul who murdered Christians and blasphemed against God not only found forgiveness, but became perhaps the greatest promoter of the gospel the world has ever known:
The good news is that Christ says "all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men". It can not only be forgiven in this world, but also in the world to come. Have you ever thought about that? In the world to come, the 1000 year reign of Christ, there will still be sin present in the world. Why? Because the majority of mankind will awaken in their sins the same way they died. Only by repentance, restitution, and instruction in righteousness will these eventually be brought back to eternal life. But Jesus is clear; all manner of sin and blasphemy CAN be forgiven, not only in this world, but in the world to come.
There is however one particular sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which Jesus says will NEVER be forgiven, not now, nor in the day of judgment. Before considering what this sin might be, let's be clear about what it isn't.
It clearly doesn't refer to the masses of humanity, who although totally heathen, have never heard the gospel, and sin in ignorance. God himself said that the people of Sodom were more righteous than than the Israelites who sinned even though they had been given such great light, and shown such favor. Even the apostle Paul who murdered Christians and blasphemed against God not only found forgiveness, but became perhaps the greatest promoter of the gospel the world has ever known:
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 1 Tim 1:13-14
Those who sin ignorantly in unbelief cannot commit the unpardonable sin.
Neither does "the unpardonable sin" refer to any sin a truly called child of God could ever commit. Those whom God calls in this life are given the Holy Spirit. This Spirit brings about the "new creature" in the life of the believer. The believer is made capable of serving God, having fellowship with God, and running the race which God has set before him. Without the Spirit, man is capable of none of this. As Paul said:
Neither does "the unpardonable sin" refer to any sin a truly called child of God could ever commit. Those whom God calls in this life are given the Holy Spirit. This Spirit brings about the "new creature" in the life of the believer. The believer is made capable of serving God, having fellowship with God, and running the race which God has set before him. Without the Spirit, man is capable of none of this. As Paul said:
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom 8:7
The problem is this. Even though the Spirit has made the man capable of serving God, and has imparted to him the tools necessary to serve God, the Spirit will force no man to do anything.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10
God has saved the Christian "unto good works" that he prepared that they SHOULD walk in them. God however will force no man to walk in them. Time and again Paul warns the Christian against using their liberty as a licensee to sin. This very issue has been the crux of the long standing debate over "Eternal Security". Can a child of God once saved lose that salvation? Strangely, the answer to this question proves to be both yes and no.
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt 25:24-10
Here we have the case of the "unprofitable servant" who was unfaithful with his master's money. Some say that the unprofitable servant committed the unpardonable sin and lost his salvation. Others say that he was never saved in the first place? What's the truth?
Many believe that the unprofitable servant is lost because of the last verse: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We have been told for so long that the "outer darkness" and the "weeping and gnashing" of teeth occur in "hell", that it's sometimes difficult to see the truth. But if we compare this with another passage, we'll see that neither of these phrases refer to hell at all.
Many believe that the unprofitable servant is lost because of the last verse: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We have been told for so long that the "outer darkness" and the "weeping and gnashing" of teeth occur in "hell", that it's sometimes difficult to see the truth. But if we compare this with another passage, we'll see that neither of these phrases refer to hell at all.
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 0 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.Matt 22:1-13
This parable refers to the nation of Israel as is clear from the context. Just before this Jesus had told the Pharisees that the kingdom would be taken from them and given to a nation producing fruits. The meaning of the parable is quite simple. Jesus came to his own nation, but they rejected him. These were bidden to come to the wedding (to obtain the kingdom) by all the prophets which God had sent them. But they didn't listen. Instead they made light of it and killed the prophets.
In 70 AD the Roman army came and destroyed Jerusalem as foretold in the parable. "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city". In the mean time the kingdom was given to the Gentiles who believed Christ's message and submitted to his righteousness; they put on the wedding garment, so to speak.
The last part of the parable refers to those Jews who felt that they could still be part of the kingdom without submitting to Christ's righteousness. Or as Paul put it:
In 70 AD the Roman army came and destroyed Jerusalem as foretold in the parable. "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city". In the mean time the kingdom was given to the Gentiles who believed Christ's message and submitted to his righteousness; they put on the wedding garment, so to speak.
The last part of the parable refers to those Jews who felt that they could still be part of the kingdom without submitting to Christ's righteousness. Or as Paul put it:
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Rom 10:1-3
Jesus says that these servants were to be "bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness". Did this mean hell? Absolutely not! The Jewish nation WAS cast into outer darkness. The kingdom was taken from them and given to the gentiles. The Jews were scattered, their cities destroyed and their land given to others. The Jews were powerless to stop this, as God had decreed it. As a result, the Jewish people have undergone centuries of horrible persecutions at the hands on the gentile nations. Has there been weeping and gnashing of teeth? Absolutely. This phrase always refers to a condition that someone finds themselves in after realizing the height from which they have fallen, and the tremendous opportunities they have missed. Even to this day, the only remaining fragment of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem is called "the wailing wall" where the Jewish people lament the destruction of their beloved temple and city. How important it is that we rightly divide the word, and not make assumptions based on what we have been taught.
Now, returning to the "unprofitable servant" we see that he also is cast into "outer darkness" and experiences "weeping and gnashing of teeth". Applying what we know now, this would mean that he finds himself in a condition away from a great purpose for which he was originally called, and weeps bitterly when he realizes the height from which he fell and the opportunities which he missed. What could this be referring to?:
Now, returning to the "unprofitable servant" we see that he also is cast into "outer darkness" and experiences "weeping and gnashing of teeth". Applying what we know now, this would mean that he finds himself in a condition away from a great purpose for which he was originally called, and weeps bitterly when he realizes the height from which he fell and the opportunities which he missed. What could this be referring to?:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21
Christian or no Christian, Paul tells the Galatians that those who continue in sin will by no means inherit the kingdom. Once again, this is not to be confused with salvation. What is the inheritance which was promised?
It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 2 Tim 2:11-12
Christians are called upon to OBTAIN the kingdom. That is, to inherit the right to rule, reign, and judge mankind when Christ comes in his glory to set up his kingdom. Millions of professing Christians have been deceived into believing that this is part of salvation. They take for granted that just because they are "saved" God will give them the right to reign with him. NO WHERE DOES THE BIBLE SAY SUCH A THING!
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: Rev 2:26
And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Heb 3:5-6
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.Rom 8:16-17
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. Rom 11:22
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Gal 6:8-9
God never called any man so they could rest on their laurels, sit in front of the television and pat themselves on the back. God calls people in this age to obtain a kingdom where they will rule and reign with him. Whereas the Bible says that the "gifts and the calling of God are without repentance ( Rom 11:29)", clearly the prize is conditional. The prize is not salvation, but to inherit that kingdom; the right to rule and to reign with Christ.
If a Christian refuses to use the gifts and talents God has given them, and refuses to develop character and bring forth fruit, they will be counted as an "unprofitable servant" who is not worthy to obtain and inherit the kingdom. So what happens to them?
If a Christian refuses to use the gifts and talents God has given them, and refuses to develop character and bring forth fruit, they will be counted as an "unprofitable servant" who is not worthy to obtain and inherit the kingdom. So what happens to them?
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:5-6
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Heb 10:26-27
Do either of these verses teach that these go to hell? A thousand times NO!!! Notice that in Hebrews 10:26 that they find themselves IN judgment with the adversaries who the fire devours. Notice that it doesn't say it devours them? Why? Let the Bible speak for itself:
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Cor 3:11-15
If any man decides to pile nothing but JUNK on the foundation which Christ has given him, they will suffer loss. What loss? Their share in the inheritance with Christ's kingdom. Are these people lost? No, they are ultimately saved, but as one who survived going through the fire. This fire is the same judgment which will ultimately consume all the wicked. In other words, although these were called by Christ to be his firstfruits, and had the tremendous opportunity to rule and reign with him in the kingdom, they instead find themselves SUBJECT to that kingdom, and in the judgment with the rest of mankind; A PLACE OF OUTER DARKNESS, WHERE THERE IS WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH. For these, the fire serves to chastise them, and purify them, but by God's grace, they are not ultimately lost.
Can a Christian fall in to sin? Yes.
Can a Christian make shipwreck of their faith? Yes.
Can a Christian fail to obtain the prize for which they are called? Yes.
Can a Christian commit the unpardonable sin and suffer the second death. NO!
So, exactly who does commit the unpardonable sin? A look at the context is helpful:
Can a Christian fall in to sin? Yes.
Can a Christian make shipwreck of their faith? Yes.
Can a Christian fail to obtain the prize for which they are called? Yes.
Can a Christian commit the unpardonable sin and suffer the second death. NO!
So, exactly who does commit the unpardonable sin? A look at the context is helpful:
Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Matt 12:22-32
Speaking strictly from the text, the unpardonable sin is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan when you have great light and understanding to the contrary. Jesus did not specifically state here that the Pharisees HAD committed that sin, but he was clearly issuing a warning that they were in danger of committing it. He told them elsewhere:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell (Gk. Gehenna.. the second death)? Matt 23:29-33
The Pharisees knew who Jesus was, but their pride and wealth kept them from accepting him. They loved money and the praise of men more than the truth. In attributing Jesus' works, which he did by the Spirit, to Satan, the Pharisees came very close to committing the one sin Jesus said would never be forgiven. For this reason he questioned how they should ever escape the second death.
In the book of Jude we read of a similar group of people:
In the book of Jude we read of a similar group of people:
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3-4
These men had obviously positioned themselves within the church, but in reality were false teachers opposing the work of the Spirit. Jude goes on to describe these:
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. Jude 1:11-13
John gives a similar description:
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 1 John 2:18-19
Again the picture is of false teachers who somehow have positioned themselves in the church, but oppose the true work of the Holy Spirit. John calls them "anti-christs". Having been among the true Church, and the work of the Holy Spirit, these had acquired great knowledge and understanding, but willfully rejected it and worked to oppose the true work of the Spirit. The picture is always one of those who know better, but strive to hinder the work of God. No one could do this ignorantly as we shown in the case of the apostle Paul.
For these the judgment can only bring about one result; their eternal destruction in the second death.
For these the judgment can only bring about one result; their eternal destruction in the second death.
THE GREAT HOPE
The day of judgment holds out a hope to mankind that most in our day have never even heard of. How absolutely tragic that this great doctrine of restitution has been utterly lost in our contemporary theology. How unthinkable that the very ones who profess to be followers of Jesus, who were sent forth to proclaim the GOOD NEWS believe and teach that majority of mankind always has been and always will be utterly and hopelessly lost..
All of us were born captive to sin. All of us were made subject to bondage. The good news is that God sent us a savior to ransom us ALL from sin and bondage. This must be, and will be testified to in due time. Some simply cannot understand now. Satan has blinded the majority so that they can not now see the truth and come to Christ. Others have never heard, nor will hear in this lifetime.
Are these bad people? The honest truth is, we simply don't know, and for this very reason we're told not to judge; the day will manifest it. When the world is released from the bondage of death and of Satan, many will come and be saved. To this all the prophets testify.
The Gospel really is GOOD NEWS. May it be a comfort to all who are brave enough to through off the chains of false doctrine and believe it.
All of us were born captive to sin. All of us were made subject to bondage. The good news is that God sent us a savior to ransom us ALL from sin and bondage. This must be, and will be testified to in due time. Some simply cannot understand now. Satan has blinded the majority so that they can not now see the truth and come to Christ. Others have never heard, nor will hear in this lifetime.
Are these bad people? The honest truth is, we simply don't know, and for this very reason we're told not to judge; the day will manifest it. When the world is released from the bondage of death and of Satan, many will come and be saved. To this all the prophets testify.
The Gospel really is GOOD NEWS. May it be a comfort to all who are brave enough to through off the chains of false doctrine and believe it.
For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope
Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope
Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
