(1)
The expression "day of judgment" is generally misunderstood. It is
often interpreted to mean doomsday -- as signifying the time when all
opportunity for life will end. It is thought by many to be the time when
the billions of dead will be called forth -- some from heaven, but most
from some sort of fiery torture or conscious suffering. After this
their past deeds are brought before their eyes. According to these past
deeds they are then re-sentenced to return to wherever they were.
Therefore the expression "day of judgment" carries to the minds of many a
sense of dread, of fear.
(2)
Undoubtedly this leads to a peculiar misunderstanding in the average
mind on this subject. The claim is made that one receives his rewards or
punishments immediately after death. Yet the claim is also made that at
the day of judgment all will receive either a sentence of eternity of
life with God in heaven or torture in a flaming hell. How reasonable
minds can harmonize these two errors is past comprehension. (See our
study Hope of Life After Death.)
Few people do very much reasoning whatever upon religious subjects.
This unreasoning ignorance is perhaps as profound amongst the wealthy
and the more educated as amongst the poor and the less educated.
(3)
In the melee of error the truth is entirely lost sight of. It is high
time for all who are sincerely seeking truth to awaken from their
slumber. They should learn that the vagaries and inconsistencies of the
popular traditional beliefs are in violent opposition to the teachings
of the Bible. Further, they are in conflict with reason and with common
sense.
(4) Those who have died, as we reveal in our publication Hope of Life After Death,
are really dead. They do not pass into any living state of pleasure or
torture while dead, for "the dead know not anything." (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
"The soul that sins, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4,20, Green's Literal
Translation) All the dead must wait in death. How long? Until he who
paid the death penalty for Adam and his race assumes his power to judge
the world. When? During Jesus' second advent when he `sends forth
judgment in victory,' as foretold. (Matthew 12:20) Under Christ's
beneficent Kingdom the prisoners of sin and death will be set free.
(Isaiah 42:7; 29:18) The prison bars of the tomb will surrender the
billions of humanity who have gone into it. Thus all under the penalty
of Father Adam's sentence: "Dying, you must die," are to be set free.
(Genesis 2:17; see KJV margin) Jesus spoke of the time when "all who are
in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done
good, to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil, to the
resurrection of judgment (Greek, krisis )." -- John 5:28,29.
(5)
A day of judgment signifies a day or period or epoch of trial, of
testing, of proving. After this comes a sentence, favorable or
unfavorable to the one tried. A prevailing wrong thought lies mainly in
the poor translation of the Greek word krisis,
which signifies, in addition to being sentenced, a trial or test
leading to a final decision. The Greek word krisis is frequently
mistranslated "damnation." Yet its original thought is absorbed into the
English language with the similar signification that it has in the
Greek namely, trial, decision (or sentence) based on the trial. We are
all familiar with the course of fevers. We understand what the doctor
means when he tells us the crisis may be reached by the patient on the
seventh, fourteenth, twenty-first or twenty-eighth day. We know that he
means that it will be the trial time or testing time. It determines
whether the power of the fever will break and the patient begin to
recover, or whether the disease will get the greater hold and the
patient rapidly sink. This is exactly the thought that should attach to
the expression Judgment Day or Crisis Day. It refers to a period, long
or short, in which a full test is made. A decision follows one way or
another for righteousness or for sin.
Mankind's First Judgment Day
(6)
The first day of judgment began upon the nations more than 6,000 years
ago with the first man, Adam. Out of Adam came all nations of mankind.
(Acts 17:26) Adam disobeyed God, bringing judgment upon himself and all
nations that have come into existence through him, as we read: "The
judgment was by one to condemnation, . . . therefore as by the offense
of one [Adam] the judgment was to all men to condemnation." (Romans
5:16,18) The execution of that judgment upon man began with Adam and
continues until today, resulting in misery, sickness and death for all.
(Romans 5:12) The facts today testify to the truthfulness of that
judgment day, for we see its results everywhere. Hence, it is that as a
race we are a groaning creation, travailing in pain, going down to
sheol, the realm of death. (Romans 8:20-23; Ecclesiastes 9:10) Our only
hope of recovery from that original sentence rests in Christ, and his
sacrifice for sin. The scriptures assure us that Jesus Christ by the
grace [undeserved, unmerited favor] of God tasted death for every man.
(Hebrews 2:9) All are thus "bought with a price." Therefore we may hope
for a full release from the death sentence in God's due time.
The Execution of the Judgment
(7)
So before we are even born, we are already under a judgment, "dying,
you must die". We receive the final execution of this judgment when we
die. Thus God at various times has carried out this execution against
many nations and peoples who would seek to thwart his purposes. "The
nations have sunk down in the pit which they made [through Adam's sin].
Their own foot catches in the net which they hid. Jehovah is known by
the judgment he executes. The work of his own hands ensnare the wicked
one." (Psalm 9:16) The word translated "judgment" here is the Hebrew
word often transliterated into English as mishpât ,
which Strong gives the meaning of "verdict" as well as "justice." The
verdict, of course, was given in the Garden of Eden death. The executing
of that verdict meant, therefore, the death of the person or persons
receiving its execution.
(8)
In Ezekiel 5:10,15; 11:9; and 25:11, however, another Hebrew word also
indicates the executing of judgment, transliterated into English as: shephet.
Strong gives the first meaning of this word as "a sentence." Again, the
sentence is death. All the descendants of Adam are included in this
sentence ever since the Garden of Eden. Jehovah simply chose at various
times to execute that original sentence of death upon different peoples.
(9)
Terms that express the condition brought by this original sentence or
judgment of death are the "wrath" and "anger" of Jehovah. "For God's
wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of mankind who extinguish the truth by unrighteousness;
because what may be known of God has been made manifest all about them,
for God has made these apparent to them. For from the creation of the
world the unseen things about him can be understood by looking upon the
things made, both his eternal power and divine being, so they are
without excuse. Because having known God [in Adam before he sinned] they
did not glorify him as God, nor were they thankful. They became futile
in their reasonings, and their heart's discernment was darkened.
Claiming themselves wise, they became foolish [The serpent led Eve to
believe that she would become wise as a result of disobeying God. Adam
also evidently felt himself wiser than God by listening the voice of his
wife.] and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into a likeness
of an image of corruptible man, birds, four-footed animals, and
reptiles. [Adam, in obeying his wife, allowed his wife to become his
god. Mankind has been bringing the glory of God down to corruptible
matter ever since.] Therefore God also gave them up to the craving of
their hearts, their bodies being dishonored among themselves, [Adam and
Eve felt no shame concerning their bodies until they sinned. Adam did
not develop a spiritual desire to serve God. He did not learn to walk by
the spirit. He walked after the flesh, desiring his wife more than
God.] in that they changed the truth of God into a lie, and venerated
and served the created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen." -- Romans 1:18-23.
(10)
The wrath of God spoken of in these verses is the wrath which man has
inherited through Adam. The scriptures also speak of the whole world of
mankind (that has not been created anew in Christ) as "vessels of wrath
fitted for destruction." -- Romans 9:22; see also: Ephesians 2:1-10.
(11)
Some receive the word in honest and good hearts. They keep the word,
understand the word, and bring forth its fruitage. These, through faith
in Jesus are justified by his blood, and "saved from wrath through him."
(Luke 8:15; Matthew 13:23; Galatians 5:22,23; Romans 5:9) These still
undergo the wrath of God in their bodies. Nevertheless, God counts them
as alive and in his favor. He no longer counts them as under his wrath.
(1 Corinthians 1:4) This grace is spoken of as the "indescribable gift
of God." (2 Corinthians 9:13,14) Such are "reckoned", or counted by God,
as righteous. They are now spoken of as having "everlasting life" while
the wrath of God (inherited from Adam) remains upon all those who do
not take up the words of Jesus. -- Romans 4:22-24; John 4:36.
Executing Judgment in the Days of Noah
(12)
One might consider the time from Adam's fall to the flood of Noah's day
as another judgment day. Some religious leaders are saying that the
sentence executed upon the those destroyed in the flood was "the second
death" -- eternal destruction. Yet it was not for the purpose of
executing a new sentence upon mankind that God set out to destroy
mankind at that time. Rather it was the execution of the original
sentence upon man through Adam, based upon the failure of that system of
things to bring itself away from sin. (Genesis 6:7,13; 7:4,21-23; 2
Peter 2:9) Man's sinfulness at that time was still as a result of Adam's
fall. (Romans 5:12,14,16) All were under the one condemnation through
Adam. Thus God executed that condemnation at the Flood, save the eight
souls who received God's favor. (Genesis 6:8,9; 2 Peter 2:5) Mankind was
still under the sentence of the first trial or crisis, for we read,
"death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren't
like Adam's disobedience. (Romans 5:14, World English) This includes
those who died in the Flood, and also proves that the death they died
was Adamic death, not the second death, nor any kind of death that was
no covered by Jesus' sacrifice. (Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22;
1 Timothy 2:5,6) That period which ended with a flood was indeed a time
of crisis or judgment day for the angels. It proved which were loyal
and which were disloyal, and marked the beginning of the sentence of God
against the latter class. "The angels which kept not their first
estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness until the judgment of the great day." (Jude 6; 2
Peter 2:4) Now, however, we are not considering the trial and failure
and penalty upon those fallen angels. These are known in the Scriptures
as demons who impersonate the dead. They deceive mankind through
necromancy, spiritism, witchcraft and trances. They pretend to be dead
friends or relatives. They may present us with visions from someone
else's life in order to mislead us into believing that we lived before.
All these methods aid in the perpetuation of Satan's first great lie:
"Dying you shall not die"." (Genesis 3:4, Green's Literal Translation;
probably better understood as: "You will not be dying until dead.") Thus
we warn all to take heed and have nothing whatever to do with
occultism, spiritism, and spell-binding, as these are works of the Adversary.
But our object now is to discuss the judgments which God has ordained
amongst men. -- Ephesians 6:12; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Galatians 5:19-21;
Leviticus 20:6.
The Execution of Judgment
Upon Sodom and Gomorrah
Upon Sodom and Gomorrah
(13)
Another time when God executed his judgment upon some of mankind was
when he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Is there any reason to believe
that the judgment executed upon Sodom and Gomorrah was the "second
death," a death from which there is no return? Is this what the
scriptures mean when it says that they underwent the 'vengeance of
eternal fire?' (Jude 1:7) Many religious leaders teach that this
scripture means that the individuals destroyed at that time are now
burning in insufferable flames. Others teach that the fire eternally
destroyed the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. When we analyze this text it
will, we believe, lose its luridness, its terrors. In the minds of all
righteously-inclined persons it will be a reasonable, just statement of
the doings of our reasonable, just, loving God. We should take notice of
the connection: Jude is discussing evil doers, especially those whom
God blesses with the spirit and truth but who willfully and
intentionally turn away -- from it to the ways of sin. The apostle is
calling to our attention that such a course is sure to have a
punishment. He cites illustrations from the past to show the general
trend of divine government. He refers to the deliverance of the people
of Israel from Egyptian bondage. He further shows that this favor from
Jehovah did not excuse them from punishment and destruction when they
rebelled. Another illustration is that of the angels, who were at first
in divine favor, but who disobeyed Jehovah. God sentenced them to chains
of darkness until the great day of judgment. As a third illustration of
the principle that God punishes evildoers, the apostle refers to the
Sodomites. They gave themselves over to gross sin. Thus they were set
forth as an example "suffering the vengeance (punishment) of eternal
fire."
Eternal Fire of Sodom
(14)
Let us not too hastily read into this passage what it does not contain.
It does not say that the Sodomites suffered the vengeance of eternal
torment as the many think. Nor does it say that the Sodomites suffered
the vengeance of eternal destruction, as some others like to view it. It
is speaking of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities about them, and
their inhabitants -- that God executed the punishment of death upon them
because of their wrong course. The Bible, in Genesis 19:24,25,
describes the literal fire which God used in this execution. God spared
only Lot and his family from that fire and its destructive work. It
would be a mistake to suppose that this literal fire that destroyed the
Sodomites would last throughout all eternity. The fire is not burning
now. It burned until it destroyed those people and their cities. There
is not a suggestion about its being a fire that will burn in the future,
but to the contrary, it effected its work. Our Lord testifies to this
saying: "It rained down fire from heaven and destroyed them all." (Luke
17:29) Let us give our Lord's words their proper weight. He says the
fire destroyed, not preserved, the people of Sodom, Gomorrah and
surroundings. He does not even hint that they are in the fire now, but
rather just the opposite as we will proceed to show.
(15)
Many might reply along these lines: "It means `complete destruction.'"
And they would say that "'complete destruction' means that God brought
eternal destruction upon them. Therefore," according to this reasoning,
"they are not covered by the ransom sacrifice of Jesus." On the surface
this may appear logical. When we realize, however, that all who suffer
death inherited from Adam suffer complete destruction, then we can see
that it begins to lose its argument.
(16)
Were the Sodomites whom God destroyed covered by the ransom of Jesus?
If so, then we should expect that somehow and someday they will be given
an opportunity to benefit from that sacrifice. What does Jesus say?
Jesus showed that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah will come forth in
the resurrection time for a judgment or trial for eternal life. More
than this, Jesus spoke to some who heard his preaching in Capernaum and
surrounding cities: "It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in
the day of judgment than for you." -- Matthew 10:15. Furthermore, we
have Romans 5:14, which tells us that "death reigned from Adam until
Moses, even over those whose sins weren't like Adam's disobedience," and
then describes that condemnation of death as being due to Adam's sin.
(Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22) Since the death that they died
was Adamic death which results in being the sheol/hades condition, then
they did not die the "second death", and thus they will be raised in the
judgment day for a new judgment. -- John 12:47,48; Revelation 20:13.
(17)
What, then, is the fire of Jude 7, and how is it eternal? The
expression "eternal/everlasting fire" is not the literal fire that
destroyed those cities. The fire which burned those cities and destroyed
those people does represent Jehovah's fiery zeal or jealousy for
righteousness and his holy name. The literal fire that destroyed those
cities are still burning. Jehovah's zeal or jealousy for righteousness
will never be extinguished. Thus we read that "all the earth will be
consumed by the fire of his [Jehovah's] jealousy." (Zephaniah 1:18) "For
you must not bow yourself to another god; for Jehovah, whose name is
Jealous, he is a jealous God." (Exodus 34:14) "With foreign gods they
moved him [Jehovah] to jealousy; and with idols they provoked him to
anger; they sacrificed to demons, not God." (Deuteronomy 32:16,17) "And
Judah did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and they provoked him to
jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their
fathers had done." (1 Kings 14:22) "And my anger will be spent, and I
will make my fury rest on them, and I will be eased. And they will know
that I, Jehovah, have spoken in my zeal, in my fulfilling my fury on
them." (Ezekiel 5:13) "Surely I have spoken in the fire of my jealousy
against the rest of the nations." -- Ezekiel 36:5.
(18)
The jealousy of Jehovah for his name and for the righteousness
represented in his name is provoked by any unrighteousness. This can be
seen by taking Strong's concordance and looking at the many references
to Jehovah's jealousy. This fire of his jealousy, his determination to
act against all unrighteousness, is eternal; it will be forever; it will
forever be ready to act against any unrighteousness, should there be
any.
(19)
Let us return to Jesus' statements concerning Sodom: "More tolerable
for Sodom! " What does this mean? In the great "last day " (John
12:47,48) of judgment, the Millennial age, when the world in general
will be on trial for life everlasting or the second death, the people of
Capernaum who heard the Lord will also be on trial with others. They
had superior advantages to others, and had neglected those advantages.
Thus, due to their neglect of these greater privileges offered to them,
they will be correspondingly less supportable, less strengthened, less
able to readily benefit by the blessings and mercies of God during the
Millennial reign of Christ.
(20)
We understand this to be a general principle of divine dealings: where
God grants much light, knowledge, opportunity and privilege, he also
requires much. Where sin abounds in direct glow of the light of truth
there is correspondingly a larger responsibility, and thus a greater
amount of pride to overcome if that light is ignored.
(21)
There is no suggestion in any part of the narrative in Jude or anywhere
else in the Bible that the people of Sodom or the people of Gomorrah
suffered eternal destruction, from which they cannot be redeemed.
Likewise there is no suggestion that they are now suffering some eternal
torture. Neither does it suggest that in the future awakening of the
resurrection day they will suffer eternal torture.
(22)
Our Lord proceeds to explain that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had
less advantage than the people of Capernaum and Palestine. He declares
that if they had heard his preaching and seen his miracles, "they would
have repented long ago in sack-cloth and ashes." (Matthew 11:21) Is
there, then, injustice with God? Think of all the favors afforded the
people of Capernaum. Think of Jesus' statement concerning the people of
Sodom just quoted. Would a God of justice and love send those less
favored to eternal torment or eternal destruction? Certainly not. Who
would so claim in view of our Lord's statement? According to Jesus, if
the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had enjoyed the same amount of favor as
shown the people of Capernaum they would have repented with deep
contrition in sackcloth and ashes.
The Future of the Sodomites
(23)
We have seen that the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was a
literal fire. The "eternal fire" relates to Jehovah's eternal jealousy
for righteousness. It has no relationship to any future torment of any
kind. Nor does it mean that they received a new condemnation (laying
aside the condemnation in Adam -- Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians
15:21,22) for which their is no sacrifice provided.
(24)
There are promises of God concerning the Sodomites in the Bible.
Understanding these promises will free us misconceptions concerning
their future. We will produce evidence from the Scriptures that show how
those Sodomites who were destroyed in the fire are to come back in the
resurrection day. All who have good hearts and reasonable minds will
rejoice to find that the heavenly Father has made provision through the
death of his Son for all the world of mankind, even including the wicked
Sodomites. Our Lord's words assure us that the Sodomites were at heart
and in his sight not worse than the people of Capernaum, who had greater
light and therefore greater responsibility. Doubtless the Lord would
say the same of our religious communities today which may boast of much
service to him. Surely all who have the love of God in their hearts and
who intelligently pray: "Your will be done," will be glad to know that
the divine will is to bring a blessing to the people of Sodom. Now let
us examine the proofs.
(25)
The Millennial day of one thousand years, is the day in which Jehovah, through Jesus -- and
his Church -- will judge the world. (Daniel 7:22; Psalms 96:13; 98:9; John 5:22; Acts 17:31; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 20:4) This will be the world's trial for
everlasting life or the Second Death. We have our Lord's statement,
already referred to, assuring us that in that day of judgment the
condition of the Sodomites will be more favorable than that of some
others who thought themselves very religious. We also have the Lord's
statement that the fire which rained from heaven destroyed them all.
This statement prevents any suggestion that a part of them might have
remained alive. Therefore Jesus did not have reference to a remnant who
were not destroyed. Unquestionably he referred to the ones whom God
destroyed, as the language clearly states.
The Times of Restoration
(26)
The apostle Peter tells us of the "times of restoration." These
restoration times will begin during the second coming of our Lord. Peter
also speaks of the "times of refreshing." (Acts 3:21) He tells us
Jehovah spoke of this coming times of refreshing or restoration through
the mouth of the holy prophets of the past. Let us look at one of these
prophecies of the coming restoration. The prophecy of Ezekiel 16
specifically mentions the Israelites, God's favored people. It also
speaks of the Samaritans, the Israelites' neighbor in Palestine.
Additionally it speaks of the Sodomites, who once occupied a portion of
Palestine.
(27)
Read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 16 before proceeding. We see here a
serious arraignment of the people of Israel. They had failed to be loyal
to Jehovah, to whom they had been promised by the Mosaic Covenant. From
the forty-eighth verse to the end of the chapter we have Jehovah's
prophecy respecting the future of Israel, Samaria, and Sodom, and the
restoration blessings that are to come to all three at or about the same
time.
(28)
We have noted that our Lord guarded against any misunderstanding as to
which Sodomites were meant by saying that he referred to those whom God
rained down fire and consumed them. Likewise, Jehovah identifies the
Sodomites whom he intends to restore in due time, saying: "Look! this
was the error of your sister, Sodom: pride, adequate bread, and an
abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters; nor did she
strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and
committed detestable things before me; therefore I took them away as I
saw good." -- Ezekiel 16:49,50.
(29)
In Ezekiel 16:51,52 Jehovah points out Samaria's unrighteousness. He
then declares that Israel's course under her special favors, privileges
and advantages in every way was more abominable in His sight than that
of either of these. They were both -- in comparison -- justified rather
than condemned by the course of Israel.
(30)
The Scriptures everywhere declare that Jehovah, after punishing Israel,
will bring them back from their captivity and bless them under the seed
of Abraham. In harmony with this, the account in Ezekiel 16:53-56
specifically tells us about this returning from captivity. This
captivity is the captivity of death into which the Israelites by the
millions have gone as well as the Samaritans and Sodomites. -- Thus we
read: "When I bring back their captive ones, the captive ones of Samaria
and her daughters, then I will bring again the captive ones of your
captives in the midst of them."
(31)
What is the object of thus stating the conjoined awakening of these
three peoples? The answer is: "That you may bear your own shame, and may
be ashamed because of all that you have done in that you are comfort to
them." So, when God fully opens the great Millennial day of judgment
and trial, and he pours out his blessings upon the world, God will use
Israel in her shame and exposure in the light of that day to comfort the
Sodomites and Samaritans in their degree of shame and exposure in that
day. (See also The Restoration of All Things)
"Shame and Ongoing Contempt"
(32)
Through the prophet Daniel Jehovah speaks of these returning ones from
the captivity of death. He tells first of the faithful justified ones,
who will come forth from the tomb to shine as stars forever and ever.
Then he refers to others, such as the Sodomites and Samaritans and
Israelites, who will come forth to shame and ongoing (Hebrew,
transliterated: ôlâm) contempt. (Daniel 12:2) It will
be in this shame and contempt condition that Israel (as a whole) will be a comfort to
her sister nations. It is not God's design that the shame and contempt
should work an eternal blight to those poor creatures or to others. The
scripture is associated with the period of reformation, to the day of judgment. At that time the
present-day wicked will experience shame due to their past course of
sin and degradation. This shame is designed to lead them to turn from
sin and be transformed under the influence of the Kingdom of God's dear
Son.
(33)
As the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2), Jesus will fill the whole
earth with the light of the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah (Isaiah
11:9; Habakkuk 2:4), putting to shame, to flight, the works of darkness
and sin. Then the wise `will turn many to righteousness' through the
glow of the light of truth. (Daniel 12:3; Matthew 13:43) It will indeed
be a comfort to the Sodomites, when they realize their own degradation,
to see that some others who had enjoyed so many more favors than they
will equally, or even more so, be put to shame. Thus, the shame will be
more tolerable for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than for the people
of Capernaum.
(34)
The good news is that there will be no need for them to remain in this
contemptible condition and under shame. Then the influences of the
Kingdom will be favorable to their rising out of sin and death
conditions. They will have the opportunity of coming up, up, up on the
promised highway of holiness. The prophet Isaiah assures that Jehovah
will provide this highway for the world. All who come to love
righteousness and desire harmony with God amongst the world of mankind
will pass over it. While crossing this highway they will receive
complete aid so that not even a fool will need to err. (Isaiah 35:8,9)
By the end of the Millennial age they will have perfection, everlasting
life. God will only exclude the willfully disobedient -- those who love
sin and hate righteousness, from this highway and its end in full
perfection. But the scriptures assure us that Jehovah will not consign
those who proved themselves lovers of sin to an eternity of conscious
suffering, but they will be "punished with everlasting destruction from
the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power." -- 2 Thessalonians
1:9.
The Return of the Sodomites
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. - Matthew 10:15.
(35)
Based on what we have shown from the scriptures, we have no doubt that
the period referred to by our Lord is the day of judgment. It will be
more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for Capernaum in that day.
This period follows his second advent and the establishing of his
kingdom. We have no doubt either that the time mentioned by the prophet
Ezekiel is the very same. It will be the day when the captivity of the
Sodomites and Israelites will have come to an end. Jehovah will release
all the captives from the prison-house of sin and death. There can be no
question either that the apostle Peter, in speaking of the times of
restoration, had reference to this same period following the Lord's
second advent. (Acts 3:21) Now, then, connect these three lines of prophecy
together. Notice what the prophet declares respecting the liberation of
these captives and to what purpose Jehovah will liberate them from the
prison-house of death.
(36)
We quote: "When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their
former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former
state." The prophet is here referring to the "times of restoration"
mentioned by the apostle Peter. He says: "return to your former state."
What is meant here? We answer that man's original state, according to
the Bible record, was the image and likeness of God. It was from this
glorious state that Adam fell. All of us as Adam's race, his children,
in his loins, fell from the same into a condition of sin, degradation
and death. So then, we read that Jehovah will open the prison-doors. We
read that the captives will be set free from the prison-house of death
and from the bondage to corruption. Then we read that they will return
to their former state. This means restoration, a returning to the
original likeness of God lost through sin.
"A Ransom for All"
(37)
And this is exactly what Paul implies respecting the Lord's sacrificial
death. He tells us that Jesus "gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time." (1 Timothy 2:6) Jesus ransomed father Adam, the
original sinner. In doing so he also ransomed every member of Adam's
race, as well as all his possessions, titles, privileges, and rights as
the original King over earth. The very object of this legal purchase was
the restoration of mankind to their primeval dignity, honor and glory.
And that is the promise of the Bible -- times of restoration -- and
Paradise restored! This will not be merely a garden in Eden but the
entire earth! Why should we be astonished to find that God is carrying
out a great and glorious plan which his Word everywhere outlines?
=========See our study:
God Desires All Men to Be Saved
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Then why does Jehovah keep delaying this restoration? Why does he allow
poor humanity to keep suffering? Because it is Jehovah's desire to give
our whole world a lesson on the exceeding bad fruits of sin.
(Ecclesiastes 1:13,14) Additionally he desires to take out of the world
"a people for his name." (Acts 15:14) These will share with Jesus as the
ruling family for the blessing of all families of the earth with
restoration. -- Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:29.
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Let us return now to Ezekiel's statement of the matter. Notice
carefully Jehovah's statement in the context. We know that many will
tell you that they know that this statement must be "ironical." Alas!
Poor depraved humanity finds it difficult to believe in the lengths and
breadths and heights and depths of the love of God expressed in Jesus,
which goes beyond all knowledge! (Ephesians 3:19) But, regardless of
what some might desire to believe, we want the Word of Jehovah on this
subject, and on every subject. "Let God be true though it make every man
a liar." -- Romans 3:4.
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Now read the remainder of the chapter from Ezekiel 16:56 to the end,
and note that Jehovah is speaking very sympathetically and comfortingly.
He does indeed reprove Israel, especially for having broken his
covenant and despised the oath which sealed it. Yet he also tells them
that he proposes to keep his oathbound covenant anyway.
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That covenant declares: "In your seed all nations will be blessed."
(Genesis 22:18) The apostle Paul tells us that Israel failed to obtain
the chief blessing under this covenant which it had hoped for. Israel
failed to become the promised seed. (Romans 9:8; 11:7) Paul further
tells us that Jesus and his faithful disciples attained this favored
position. (Galatians 3:16-29) Christ and the called-out ones, as the
antitypical seed of Abraham, will eventually bless all the families of
the earth. This will include Israel, for he tells us that "all Israel
will be saved." -- Romans 11:25.
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Some may say Romans 11:25 refers to "spiritual Israel", not Israel
after the flesh. We can see that the Israel spoken of in Romans 11:25 is
natural Israel and not the antitypical Israel by reading verse 28:
"Indeed, as regards the good news, they are your enemies. But regarding
the election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers." At your
convenience please read carefully the apostle's exact words on this
subject as recorded in Romans 11:25-32.
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Returning to Jehovah's statement in Ezekiel 16:60,63: "Nevertheless
[notwithstanding your evil course and your unworthiness] I will remember
my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish
with you an everlasting covenant. Then you will remember your ways and
be ashamed (when the whole world is ashamed under the light of the
Millennial Sun of Righteousness), when you receive your sisters, your
older and your younger. And I will give them to you for daughters, but
not by your covenant; and I will establish my covenant with you, and you
will know that I am Jehovah, that you may remember and be confounded,
and never open you mouth any more, because of your shame when I am
pacified toward you for all that you have done."
The Destruction of Sodom
As An Example
As An Example
(44) We can see in what sense of the word Sodom was
set forth as an example in Jude 1:7 -- not of future torment, nor even eternal
destruction, but in respect to divine indignation against sin in
general. God declares that he is thoroughly opposed to sin in its every
form, that he will ultimately destroy it utterly. All who will not come
into harmony with the Great Prophet, Priest and King, Jesus, he will
destroy [especially during the `little season' after the 1,000 year
reign] from amongst the people as were the Sodomites. This, then, will
be a complete, everlasting destruction. -- Acts 3:23; 2 Thessalonians
1:9; Revelation 20:7-9; Matthew 25:45; Psalm 37:9,10.
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True, Jehovah's dealings in the past and in the present are specially
with his dedicated people Israel according to the flesh and now Israel
according to faith. (Romans 9:1-8; Galatians 3:26-29) Nevertheless, this
does not imply that Jehovah has not had an overruling hand in all the
affairs of the world. He has been permitting sin to reasonably take its
course and to bring its own lessons and experiences to the world of
mankind. Thus all may learn something of the exceeding sinfulness of
sin. Nonetheless, Jehovah clearly intimates that in any place or time
where sin shall have run its course and be standing in the way of His divine purposes, He can and will interfere to stop it. -- Romans 7:13;
Ezekiel 16:50; Genesis 6:13.
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So it was with the Sodomites. The scriptures show that the Sodomites had become prideful aw well as prosperous, which evidently had led them to
despise the poor and needy. They had made them haughty, and licentiousness became common among them. Jehovah blotted them out with the fire from heaven
as he saw good. (Ezekiel 16:50) For them to have remained would have
been to permit a plague spot in the very land in which he intended later
on to plant his typical people, Israel according to the flesh.
(47)
The example furnished us in this incidence illustrates, not eternal
torment, but the "everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord
and the glory of his power" which will surely be visited ultimately upon
all evildoers. It is also used as an illustration of the destruction of the works/elements that is come upon the present world at the battle often called "Armageddon." (Luke 17:28-30; 2 Peter 3:10-12: Revelation 16:16) We
are thankful, however, for the blessed assurance that before either the
Sodomites or any of the world who have been redeemed by the precious
blood could be condemned to the Second Death they must all be brought to
an accurate knowledge of the truth. This is the divine declaration:
"God our Savior, who wills all men to be saved and to come to an
accurate knowledge of the truth. Because 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 Timothy 2:3-5.
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This view of our Heavenly Father's personal attributes, as indicated,
and exemplified in his dealings with our race in the past, and in the
declarations of his Word in respect to his future dealings, is cheering
and encouraging and helpful to all those who are truly sons of God,
begotten of his Spirit. -- Romans 8:14,18,19.
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The Sodomites did indeed suffer loss in that they were cut off from
life a little sooner than they would otherwise have been. Nevertheless,
eventually they would have died anyway. The good news is that they have
been redeemed by the one sacrifice for all; but when granted their full
opportunity in due time, in the times of restoration, if they are then
negligent and will not listen to the voice of the Great King of glory,
they will suffer the vengeance of cutting off again, and that without
remedy, for from the Second Death there is no redemption, no recovery.
(Hebrews 10:26) The principle that now operates in the judgment of the
saints of this age is the same that will operate during the thousand
years of Christ's reign in conjunction with the whole world. The only
difference being that the trial of the saints in this age is in
surroundings not congenial to righteousness, whereas in the age to come, righteousness will prevail. (Philippians 2:15; 2 Peter 3:13) In in that age to come, the earth will become "the earth of uprightness." -- Isaiah 26:10.
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In the Old Testament times, Jehovah instituted a special arrangement
with one nation whereby they could be released from the condemnation of
death. This occurred at Mount Sinai, when God entered into a special
covenant with the nation of Israel though Moses, the Mediator of the Law
Covenant. There an offer of eternal life was presented to that nation
upon the condition that they should keep the divine law perfectly,
completely, in letter and in spirit. Thus the apostle Paul says "that
the man who does those things will live by them." -- Romans 10:5.
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Under that law covenant, with Moses as mediator, typical sacrifices
were offered for sins. Since Moses was a sinner and under the
condemnation of death, the sacrifices represented Moses justified. In
turn, Moses, in this condition, represented typically the Messiah, the
comings world's Mediator. (Hebrews 9:16-26) Nevertheless, even Moses
could not be counted as justified apart from the blood of Jesus. We are told, however, that God calls things that are not as though they were. (Romans 4:17) Thus, the justification of Moses (as well as all who were reckoned as justified through
faith in the Old Testament) was reckoned prospective of the coming sacrifice of
the sinless man, Jesus. -- Romans 4:13-24; Hebrews 11:4-38.
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After the sacrifices had been offered and their blood had been
sprinkled on the Law, as representing God and his side of the covenant,
and upon the people, as representing their side of the covenant, then
the crisis, trial or judgment of that people began, to determine whether
or not they could and would keep the Law Covenant, and if they were
successful, to reward them by making them God's Kingdom for the blessing
of all the families of the earth. But if they would fail in their trial
or judgment, it would mean the loss of their privilege and their
remaining under the death sentence, not having attained life under the
law. The trial of that nation -- its crisis -- lasted for about 1,525
years and terminated on the day that our Lord Jesus rode the donkey into
Jerusalem, was rejected by them, and pronounced the sentence against
them indicating that their the epoch of their trial or judgment had
terminated. He stated: "Your house is left unto you desolate. You will
not see me until the time comes when you will say: `Blessed is he who
comes in the name of Jehovah.'" (Luke 13:35) Their crisis being ended,
nothing remained except to note the results which were found to be as
follows:
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1) By the deeds of the Law no flesh can be justified. (Romans 3:20)
Therefore it follows that every member of that nation was condemned, not only through Adam, but also according to the Law. They were never released from the first condemnation, but thus they continued to be under the
original sentence of death. They failed to gain life under the Law, for they were not able to
keep the Law. But as the apostle Paul shows us that there was a small
class which, from the time of Abel and even during the time of the Law, still exercised faith toward God which
was pleasing and acceptable to him. These are recounted to us in Hebrews
11:1-40 and are described as those who out of weakness were made strong
and who through faithfulness to God endured various tribulations,
rejoicing therein and trusting for a share in a better resurrection than
they would otherwise have received. After setting forth this lesson
Paul declared: "These all died in faith not having received the
promise." (Hebrews 11:13); and he assures us that they can never be made
perfect without Jehovah's saints of this Gospel (Good News) Age.
(54)
2) Another result as respects the nation of Israel was that when their promised Messiah had come, several thousand of
the Jews, lifted out of depths of degradation through the instruction of
the Law, were so developed in heart as to be recognizable as Israelites
of faith. (John 1:47) These were granted the first opportunity for
entering upon a new trial of a new epoch, which began with our Lord's
baptism and which still continues.
(55)
As for the remainder of the Jews the Scriptures assure us that they
were cast off for a time from all special favor and relationship with
God, but with the divine promise that later on they will again receive
God's favor and under it eventually become the leading nation of earth
during the Millennial judgment or trial. Meantime, note that the nation
at large was cast off from divine favor, and certain responsibility for
unappreciated and unused opportunities lay against it, as a penalty for
which a great time of trouble came upon that nation, resulting in their
complete overthrow nationally in the years 70 - 73 CE. Their rejection
of their Messiah did not however, bring any new sentence of death upon
them as individuals. They simply remained under the wrath which has been
upon mankind since Adam disobeyed, howbeit many did receive a speedy
execution of that judgment. (John 12:47,48; 3:36)
The Day of Jehovah's Wrath
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Now we come to the scriptures that speak of the day of Jehovah's wrath,
when his wrath upon mankind is being brought to an end. (Revelation
6:17) The day of his wrath is spoken of as coming in the blowing of the
seventh trumpet and consisting of seven "vials" or "bowls." (Revelation
11:15; 15:7) The last bowl results in the destruction of Babylon the
Great, a woman representing the false religious promises of Satan as
begun in the Garden of Eden and which have extended all over the world.
(Genesis 3:4,5; Revelation 12:9; 16:19) The destruction of those
individuals who make up Satan's seed, those under God's wrath, is also
depicted as taking place as part of the last vial. (Revelation 19:17-19,
21) Much of this is probably symbolic; nevertheless the execution upon
those under God's wrath is still, however, an execution of the original
sentence given in the garden of Eden -- death. We note, however, that
the various systems of Satan receive a different sentence. Under the
symbolism of a beast and false prophet, these systems are spoken of as
being thrown into the "lake of fire and brimstone," referring to the
lake of fire and brimstone outside the walls of Jerusalem in the Valley
of Hinnom, or Gehenna. (Revelation 19:20) According to historical
references to this valley in Jesus' day, fires were continuously kept
burning in this valley by the addition of brimstone (sulphur), so that
Jesus spoke of the "fire that does not die out," or as the King James
Version says, "not quenched." (Mark 9:43-48) Now we know that the fires
in the valley of Jerusalem no longer exist, so we must look upon to
these Bible references as symbolic. So what does the lake of fire
symbolize? Jesus spoke of those things thrown into Gehenna as
"destroyed." (Matthew 10:28) Thus Revelation 19:20 is referring to the
destruction of Satan's systems that are symbolically spoken of the false
prophet and a certain beast. These systems, as such, were produced out
of the symbolic sea and earth of sinful mankind under the condemnation
of death through Adam. (Revelation 13:2,11) Nevertheless, it is human
beings who are collectively under the condemnation of death and
sheol/hades; as a result of sin, all of mankind's works are indeed
subject to the present sun of vanity; this does not mean that any system
produced by man is also condemned to hades. It is only human beings
that are depicted as going into hades, not the systems that Satan
produces through humans. Since all those in hades come forth in the
resurrection, if the symbol of hades had been used to designate the
destruction of the systems symbolized in Revelation, it would have meant
that these systems would also be raised for judgment in the last day.
However, as systems, these were never under the condemnation in Adam,
and thus, since they are not raised in the judgment day, the more
correct symbol is the "lake of fire," which represents the second death,
which designates their eternal destruction.
For links to our studies related to Gehenna
https://bible-hope.blogspot.com/p/gehenna.html
https://bible-hope.blogspot.com/p/gehenna.html
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But notice that the individuals associated with these systems are not
spoken of as going into the second death. These have never been released
from Adamic death, and therefore cannot be given the execution of
second death. The destruction that comes upon the peoples of nations during and in the final part of the time of trouble is not the second death, as some have claimed, but is
the execution of the original sentence given in the garden of Eden, and
is the destruction spoken of as the broad road to destruction which all
nations have been traveling since Adam's disobedience. (Romans 3:11-15;
Matthew 7:18) As Jehovah has turned the nations to destruction, he also says:
"Return, you children of men!" (Psalm 90:3) Therefore the judgment
remains the same at the end of the age as Jesus had stated concerning
those disbelievers in his day: "If any man hears my words, does not
believe, I do not judge him; for I have not come to judge the world, but
to save the world. He who rejects me, and does not receive my words,
has one that will judge him. The word that I have spoken, the same will
judge him in the last day." (John 13:47,48) "He who disobeys the Son
will not see life, but the wrath of God [through Adam] remains upon
him." -- John 3:36.
Judgment of the Nations
The Individuals Thereof
The Individuals Thereof
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Jesus therefore tells us that the individual judgment of all those who
do not now believe will be in the "last day," being that the wrath of
God remains upon them. Since the wrath of God remains upon them, many of
them, as individuals, will receive the execution of that wrath in the
"war of the Great Day of God the Almighty" at Armageddon. We cannot be certain of the details of the fulfillment of prophecies, but one of the scriptures that appears to be referring that war is Isaiah 24:6, which tells us that there will be only a few men left. Likewise, we are told the slain of Jehovah will be from end of the earth to the other end of the earth. (Jeremiah 25:33) Thus, it appears that the majority of earth's population may die in that Great Day. Those who die at that time, however, do so as a result of the collective
judgment that began in the Garden of Eden. Thus, it is possible that Jesus spoke of that
coming destruction when he said: "At that time two will be out in the field;
one will be taken away, and one will be left. -- Two will be grinding
at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left." (Matthew
24:40,41) If this application is correct, those left would be, or at least include, consecrated Christians who, by
faith, no longer reside under God's wrath. Those taken, like the
antediluvians outside of God's favor, are taken in death, as a result of
God's wrath which remains upon them. (See verse 39; see also Isaiah
24:6; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 2:3; 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:16; 5:9;
John 3:36) Those who remain, we believe, would include the great multitude who come out of the great tribulation, having lived through
it, because they had washed their robes in the blood of the lamb.
(Revelation 7:14) While the scriptures do not tell how many will be destroyed during that great battle, if the prophecy of Isaiah 24:6 refer to that battle, it does indicate that only a few people will be left. A few people could be thousands, or as
compared with the billions now living, it could be millions of people
left.
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When Jesus returns, one of the first things he does is to complete the
sealing of his bride, the 144,000 who are not only heirs of God, but
joint-heirs with Christ. These are part of the Israelites by faith.
(Revelation 7:1-8; 19:7,8; Matthew 24:31) After obtaining his bride and
returning from the wedding, others join with them in the marriage
supper. (Revelation 19:9; Luke 12:35-40; Matthew 25:1-12; Revelation
7:9-17) We conclude that while the world is thrown into the fiery furnace of the
tribulation, the false servants of God are separated from the true wheat
by being thrown in the symbolic furnace of the great tribulation; after
this, God's true wheat is is gathered into God's symbolic barn. (Matthew
13:24-30, 36-43) Eventually God's righteous ones, justified by faith in
Jesus, will shine as the sun (Matthew 13:43) as God's kingdom fills
the whole earth, bringing healing to the devastated nations. (Daniel
2:44; Revelation 22:2) It is during the time of trouble that the nations
are gathered, not for judgment, but for the execution of judgment. "For
my decision is to gather nations to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon
them my indignation, all the heat of my anger; for in the fire of my
jealous wrath all the earth shall be consumed." (Zephaniah 3:8, Revised
Standard Version ) This execution of judgment, upon the nations as a
whole who are condemned in Adam, however, is not the final judgment, but
rather it is the result of the judgment through Adam. The world still
has to face the final judgment in the "last day".
For more related to the 144,000 and the great multitude, see links our studies at:
***********Below has not yet been edited; links may not work.
The "Last Day" -- The Day of Judgment
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The "last day" is spoken of as the day when the dead return. (John
6:39-54) Jesus also said that unbelievers would be judged in the "last
day." Therefore the "last day", the day of the world's resurrection, and
the "day of judgment" are all one and the same. This great judgment day
will be the second great judgment day for mankind. -- Thus we read: "He
has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness
by that man whom he has ordained; of this he has given a guarantee unto
all men, in that he has raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:31) That the
resurrection of Jesus is God's assurance to us that the world will have
a general judgment, must seem peculiar to the majority of traditional
Christians and others who have so long been taught that the day of
judgment is synonymous with the day of eternal doom for all who are
without Christ.
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Nor should we think of this day as a 24-hour day, but as a day on a
larger scale, which the apostle Peter calls a "day of Jehovah," saying:
"Brothers, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that a day with Jehovah
is as a thousand years." -- 2 Peter 3:8.
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Most reasoning people have probably realized that there was something
incongruous in the ordinary conception of the day of judgment which has
been handed down through traditions: a 24-hour day, in which we are told
Jesus would sit upon the circle of the earth while the earth revolved,
and that during that time He would judge the world of mankind respecting
their words and thoughts and doings of the present life. When we notice
that the time necessary for a single case in an ordinary court of law
we might wonder how it could be possible for our glorious Redeemer to
judge all of the billions of our race in such a brief space of time. The
more we look at it the more ridiculous the entire statement grows,
until common sense declares that it is totally unreasonable; and then
turning to the Bible, to which we should have looked at first, we find
that no such thing is there declared, but on the contrary a
thousand-year day for the world's judgment.
"Krino" Signifies to Discern
(63)
The word judge in Acts 17:31 does not necessarily mean to render
judgment, as in the case already tried and determined; the Greek word is
transliterated as krino, and signifies to discern, to
reach a decision. True, there will be a decision reached in the end of
that Millennial Age, that decision will go into execution, too; but the
thought of the word krino is that of trial rather than
of verdict. The ordinary thought among traditional Christians respecting
this text is that the trial takes place in the present life; that none
of the trial goes beyond the present life into the Millennial Age; it is
generally assumed that a decision is reached as soon as one dies, and
that the future could in no sense change or alter that decision. This is
wholly a mistake, as every Greek scholar must admit upon examination of
the word transliterated as krino.
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Let us now look at the matters from the scriptural viewpoint. The world
has already completed its first trial, failed and received a
condemnation. The trial took place in Eden: Adam our first father, was
the representative of himself and his race in the trial. He failed, and
was sentenced to death, and the whole world, his posterity, are still
resting under the incubus of his sentence: "Dying, you must die." This
condemnation essentially was: you are unworthy of eternal life which was
offered to you in the beginning -- your disobedience has proven you
unworthy. As we look about us we see that none of the race has improved
and reached perfection -- rather,.on the contrary, the course of the
race in general has been downward, and the scriptural assurance is:
"There is none righteous, no not one." -- Romans 3:10.
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If then the whole world is already condemned to death -- if all were
born in sin and thus from birth have been under the sentence of death,
what kind of a judgment further would they need? What more condemnation
could they receive from Jehovah than that already against them? Surely
we are not to suppose that God doubts the wisdom of his own decision,
which the Scriptures express so forcefully, and that He will try matters
again to see whether or not any mistake was made in His original
decision. The Supreme Court of the Universe is infallible; its decision
beyond repeal; its sentence is "The wages of sin is death." (Romans
6:23) For thousands of years this penalty has been inflicted. There
could be no hope of a change upon the part of the great Judge. We see,
then, that any thought of a repetition of the original trial and
sentence is inconsistent, and hence the day of judgment spoken of in
Acts 17:31 must refer to a new trial.
Grant of a New Trial
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But on what grounds could the great Supreme Judge of the Universe grant
a new trial to Adam and his family? We reply that, since he could not
rescind His own just sentence, the only consideration upon which a new
trial could be granted would be that the penalty of the original trial
should somehow first be met and canceled. And this is exactly what did
take place: "By one man's disobedience sin entered the world, and death
as a result of sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all have
sinned." -- have inherited the sin, are sinners. (Romans 5:12) But now
the Messiah has died for the ungodly -- has redeemed Adam, and
incidentally, all of his posterity involved in his transgression. --
Hence the Scriptures assure us that God can be just and yet be the
justifier of him that believes in Jesus. -- Romans 3:26.
(67)
Here notice that the apostle (in Acts 17:31) refers right back to our
Lord's great transaction, his great redemptive work and how that, after
he had died for our sins, God raised him from the dead. The apostle
further declares that in so doing, God gave us an assurance of his
intention to grant another trial to the race of Adam and that this Jesus
who died for Adam and his race is, by divine appointment, the Judge and
Mediator through whom all the condemned ones, if they will, may return
to the full perfection of harmony with their Creator, and the eternal
life which he is pleased to give to all those who are obedient to his
laws.
The Necessity of Another Judgment
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The first judgment was based on the act of one man, the effects of
which extended to all of his posterity all lost, all were condemned, all
went into death. (Romans 5:12-19) The divine standard can never alter; a
sinner can never have eternal life, either in heaven or elsewhere.
Eternal life is a gift of God, and he will give it to none except those
who please him. The divine proposition is, to give to Adam and every
member of his race a full individual opportunity for returning to
harmony with God, and thus to a recovery to all that was lost through
the original fall -- with added blessings in the case of the faithful
followers of Jesus in the present age. This is the Good News! -- that
there is a hope of eternal life through Christ. Several thousand years
had elapsed before our Redeemer was born upon the earth, yet in all that
time none of Adam's race had escaped from death, and only a few had any
knowledge of the divine intention to provide a Savior and Redeemer and
ultimately to roll away the curse and bring in blessings through Him.
(69)
Those few were of the Abrahamic line, the Israelite line. But even to
them the reckoning of eternal life was never stated, though it was
indirectly hinted at through the Law. Had any of them been fully
obedient to the Law, then everlasting life would have been through the
Law, but due to the weakness of the flesh, no one gained eternal life
through obeidence to the Law, thus, any reckoning of justification, even
the Old Testaments times was given based on the coming sacrifice of
Jesus. (Luke 20:38; Acts 13:39; Romans 2:13; 3:4-28; 8:3; Galatians
2:16) Thus the Scriptures declare that our Lord brought life and
incorruption to light through the Good News -- its full meaning was not
brought to light before amongst mankind, since no human had lived a
sinless life. (2 Timothy 1:10) At his birth the angels declared that
they were messengers of Good News, which would have its fulfillment
through the newborn babe, saying: "We bring you good tidings of great
joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in
the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." -- Luke 2:10,11.
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The apostle declares that these good tidings for our race are the
tidings of salvation -- not salvation from the torture of demons nor
from the eternal torment, but salvation from sin and its death penalty.
This salvation implied two things: -1- The sinner must be reformed in
heart and begotten again to newness of life; -2- the sinner must be
raised up out of the present death conditions -- brought back to full
perfection of life as it was enjoyed before the sentence or curse came
upon all mankind. This is salvation in the broadest meaning of the term,
and the apostle declares, which salvation began to be spoken by our
Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that there was no offer of such a
salvation, no basis upon which it could be offered, until Christ, as
our Redeemer, our Savior, brought life and incorruption to light. Still,
nothing that he said and nothing that the apostles said warrant us in
believing that this salvation will allow life eternal to be retained by
any except the willing and obedient. This salvation, indeed, we are
assured, is applied to Adam and every member of his race, but it will be
for each one of them to accept or reject the terms of the new covenant
that would allow them to retain life everlasting. The good tidings of
joy will be to all people, but it will mean eternal incorruptible life
only to those who prove their love and obedience to him -- those who
obey the great Redeemer (who is also the Teacher, the King and the
Judge) will, after the final judgment, depart into eternal life, while
those who prove themselves incorrigible will depart into eternal
punishment. -- Matthew 25:46.
(71)
In harmony with this thought the preaching of the Good News began with
Jesus, and has progressed amongst his followers ever since. We perceive,
however strange though it be, that the truth has never been popular,
that not many believed in the Redeemer himself, that not many believed
the message of the apostles, that the great growth -- amongst the
followers of Christ came when an admixture of error was added to the
Good News. And so we find today that, in proportion as the error is
combined with the truth, the larger are the numbers and the lower is the
Scriptural standard so far as faith and heart-obedience is concerned.
We find now, as in our Redeemer's day, that not many great, now many
wise, not many learned, not many noble have Jehovah's favor, but chiefly
the poor of the world, rich in faith, are called to be heirs of the
Kingdom.
Judgment of the Favored
(72)
It is not difficult to prove from the facts as well as from the
Scriptures that Jehovah has a favored people who are in the world at the
present time -- that, as during the Jewish Age, the seed of Abraham
according to the flesh were Jehovah's favored people, and as the apostle
declared, a `Jew had much advantage in every way, mainly in that to
them were committed the oracles of God.' (Romans 3:2) So during the
Christian era, there is still a selection according to God's favor, as
the apostle points out -- only a certain class of the world is being
dealt with. The great mass of mankind are not being favored with the
necessary information and opportunity to come into harmony with Jehovah
at the present time. We know that some, ignorant of the Scriptures and
short-sighted in their view of the conditions of the world, may dispute
this, but it will stand examination from both standpoints.
(73)
Notice how frequently our Lord declares that only some have the ear to
hear. (Matthew 7:14; 13:9,13-18,43; Mark 4:9,12,23; 7:16; Luke 8:8;
14:35; John 10:3,16) This means that only those are called. And he
assures us that even amongst the called only a comparatively few will be
chosen to be of the joint-heirs with Christ, the bride of the Lamb.
(Matthew 22:1-14; Romans 8:17) The prophet Isaiah holds forth a similar
thought, assuring us of a future time coming, when the wilderness will
blossom as a rose, namely, the Millennial Age, when all the blind eyes
will be opened and all the deaf ears will be unstopped. (Isaiah 35:5) He
thus implies that at the present time many eyes are closed and many
ears are stopped, so that the majority of mankind now do not see and do
not hear, do not appreciate, the things which God has revealed to a
special class: only "the called according to his purpose." -- 2 Timothy
1:9; Isaiah 29:10; see also our study: The Restoration of All Things.
(74)
The apostle Paul also refers to the matter in the same way, only more
explicitly, telling us that "the god of this world has blinded the minds
of them that do not believe, lest the light of the glorious good news
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine upon them." (2
Corinthians 4:4) This implies that generally the whole world was in
blindness, but that by God's grace his message through Jesus and his
disciples comes as an eye-salve to some, but not to all. The vast
majority, blinded by the adversary, by false doctrines, selfishness,
weakness, depravity, superstition, etc., are utterly blind and ignorant
respecting the true qualities of God and of his Son, and the plan for
his vindication through the salvation being worked out on their behalf.
As the apostle declares: "The world does not know us, even as it did not
know him." (1 John 3:1) We are not therefore to say that God has
blinded the world, but rather, as the apostle does, that it is the
adversary who has brought this blindness of heart upon mankind, which
hinders their knowing, loving and appreciating God's love and offer of
salvation.
(75)
We therefore ask this question: Why should God provide a great feast of
fat things through the sacrifice of his Son, and yet not make provision
that all of the unenlightened human family of Adam should hear of it?
The very thought seems incongruous. He who loved the whole world so as
to give his only begotten Son as their redemption price surely should
love them all to such an extent that he would give them all the proper
knowledge of that Son -- the knowledge necessary to their appreciation
of him, and of his work, and of their privilege of return to harmony
with their Creator and to everlasting life. We search the scriptures to
ascertain the secret of this peculiarity, and are there informed that
Jehovah is now calling a peculiar people, a cream class as it were, from
the world of mankind into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9,10) From
amongst these called ones, God first chooses a bride for his Son;
secondarily others are chosen to be bridesmaids, princesses, princes in
all the earth, etc. -- Matthew 25:1-13; Psalm 45:14-15.
Judgment of the House of God
(76)
What happens to those whose eyes of understanding open in this age?
What blessing comes to them? We answer: A blessing of knowledge and
hope, but also of trial. In proportion to their knowledge they have a
responsibility toward God. They are on trial for life or death
everlasting. In proportion as they respond to the love and grace of God
by obedience to His will and by growth in Christlikeness, in that same
proportion do they receive various rewards or chastisements. (Matthew
24:45-50; Luke 12:42-48) While the general principle of Luke 12:42-48
has been true throughout this age, yet the context (verses 35-39) shows
that its special application is here in the end of the age, with its
culmination after the wedding ceremony has taken place. Thus we
ascertain that its participants are not of the bride class, but rather
representative of Christians waiting for Christ to return from the
wedding here in the end of the age. See our study on "The Faithful and Wise Servant and Other Servants", and also our study on The Parable of the Four Servants.
The point is that only those who eyes and ears see and hear in this age
are now on trial -- being judged. The remainder of mankind, whom the
god of this world has blinded, are not on trial, are not being judged
now, but are already judged in Adam.
(77)
Let us prove this. First, the whole world is under the original Adamic
sentence, and cannot be released from that sentence except by faith in
the Son of God as the Redeemer -- a faith based on a reasonable degree
of knowledge. Only by the exercise of this faith and obedience do any
pass from under the condemnation that came upon all through Adam into
the justification which comes to believers through Christ; second, the
whole world is still under the Adamic condemnation; as the apostle
declares, only believers have escaped it. Should no opportunity be given
to the world to come to enlightenment on the subject they could never
escape that condemnation -- could never be rid of the original sentence
of death -- could never, therefore, go on trial again.
`God's Hand Is Not Short'
"Behold, Jehovah's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." -- Isaiah 59:1.
(78)
Some tell us that God is doing all in His power for the world, to bring
mankind to a knowledge of the truth, of His grace and the opportunities
of eternal life through His Son. We believe no such thing -- it is
contrary to both reason and Scripture. Jehovah through His Word not only
informs us that Satan is operating in the world in opposition to the
light of truth, and blinding the masses, but we are also assured that
God has full power over Satan, and that when His due time comes Satan
will be bound, restrained, so that he will not deceive the nations until
the thousand years are finished and that for the entire thousand years
of the Millennial Age the world will be free from all such blinding
influences. (2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9; 20:1-3; Isaiah
29:18,24) The Scriptures assure us that though darkness now covers the
earth, society, and gross darkness the people, yet in God's due time the
light of Truth will mount up high in the heavens as the Sun of
Righteousness, to scatter the darkness and clouds of sin and
superstition, and that thus from two standpoints a blessing will come by
restraining the powers of darkness and by setting free the powers of
light. Of that time we are further assured that the knowledge of Jehovah
will fill the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. -- Isaiah 60:2;
Malachi 4:2; Isaiah 11:9.
(79)
Those who think of God as having done all that is in His power to cause
the knowledge of His grace and truth to fill the earth have not yet
come to understand the power of Jehovah's hand. It is not shortened, as
he tells us in due time all His purposes will be accomplished. (Jeremiah
51:29) The difficulty with mankind is in shortsightedness -- the
feeling that more should be done at the present time. We need to be
calm, and to sink into Jehovah's will. Instead of attempting to tell
Jehovah how we think his plan for the glorification of his name and the
salvation of man should be carried out, and instead of attempting to
carry out our own plans irrespective of the divine arrangement, we
should as obedient children listen to the voice of our Father through
His Son and through the apostles and prophets, assuring us that in His
due time the message of salvation will be good tidings of great joy to
all people -- assuring us that now He is doing a preparatory work,
finding and developing His jewels, those who will constitute the judges
and governors of that coming age of glory. (Malachi 3:17; Luke 19:15-19;
Isaiah 32:1) As soon as mankind has completely learned the lessons
pertaining to the rulership of sin and death, then He will work through
his chosen servants of this age to the fulfillment of His great and
glorious plan, which is not merely for the salvation of those called in
this age, but for the salvation of the whole world that whosoever will
may take of the water of life freely. -- 1 Timothy 4:10; John 4:42; 1
John 2:2; Revelation 22:17.
The World's Judgment
(80)
Who do not see then that the judgment or trial of the world in general
cannot begin until the eyes of their understanding are opened, and that
God will not set into operation the general plan for the opening of all
the blind eyes and the unstopping of all the deaf ears until first they
have seen the far extremes of where government by sinful man will lead.
Then Jesus, the Bride of Christ and all who have been favored of God in
this age will shine forth for the blessing of the world when Satan will
first have been bound.
(81)
Thus Paul spoke concerning that time saying: "He has appointed a day in
which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has
ordained. Of this he has given a guarantee to all, in that He has raised
him from the dead." (Acts 17:31) This verse does not refer to the
judgment of the called-out ones of this age, which takes place in
advance, and which was already in progress when the apostle uttered
these words. It does not refer to the judgment of Church as a part of
the judgment of the world. On the contrary, He assures us that if we are
faithful we will not come into judgment with the world in the end of
this age, but will be counted as not as "children of wrath," but as
"children of the day," "children of God by faith." -- Ephesians 2:3;
Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.
(82)
Looking at Acts 17:31 again, we see that it refers to the entire matter
of the world's judgment as future from the apostle's day. It is still
future from our day, though very near at hand. Thus we believe that the
great Sun of Righteousness will soon be revealed, and the shadows of the
dark night of sin and superstition and ignorance will begin to flee
away. We can no longer wonder that Jehovah, through the prophets, spoke
so joyfully of this coming judgment of the world as a great blessing,
saying: "Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be glad! Let the sea
roar and the fullness thereof! Let the field be joyful and all that is
therein! Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before Jehovah!
For He is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth! He will judge the
world with righteousness and the people with His truth!" -- Psalm
95:10-13
(83)
Whoever gets the right conception of this word judge, "krino," sees
clearly that it means that Jehovah will deliver even the poor of mankind
from death to be given a trial, no matter how degraded, no matter how
fallen through sin, superstition and ignorance. The divine plan is so
wide and so deep and so broad that every member of Adam's race will have
a full opportunity of coming to a knowledge of the truth that he may
obey and live forever. He cannot receive eternal life in ignorance; he
cannot receive eternal life without the eyes of his understanding being
opened, and God's arrangement is that they all will see. Then all will
know Jehovah from the least to the greatest, and then under the blessing
of that knowledge they will be on trial. If after they know Jehovah and
know of His righteousness and its reward, and of the penalty of sin --
if then they choose disobedience willfully, persistently, intelligently,
they will die the Second Death, "everlasting destruction from the
presence [face] of the Lord and the glory of His power" -- in which
these will be no hope, from which there will be no resurrection. -- 2
Thessalonians 1:9.
"The Saints Will Judge The World"
(84)
It is in full agreement with this line of thought and in disagreement
with every other thought on this subject that the apostle declares: "Do
you not know that the saints will judge the world?" (1 Corinthians 6:2)
Here he distinctly differentiates between the Church and the world. The
saints, he tells us, are being judged now -- every son whom Jehovah
receives is disciplined, corrected, proven, that only the faithful may
receive the higher honors, and that all may be the more wiser in
whatever reward he may receive from Jehovah. But the world, he
distinctly tells us, is not on judgment now -- not on trial -- but will
be on trial in the future; and when the world will be on trial the
saints [dedicated ones] will be the judges. (Hebrews 12:6,7; 1
Corinthians 11:32) Having already passed trial themselves, the saints
will be the judges under Christ as the great Judge -- the judges of the
world during its trial time, during the millennial kingdom reign.
(85)
We should rid our minds of the thought that the day of judgment is
merely a time for sentencing for wrong doing and the blindness of the
present life of the world, and should see clearly that, on the contrary,
whatever there is in the present life that is of ignorance, of
blindness, of superstition, that comes to all through the fall and
through the power of the adversary, all this is to be forgiven men, is
to be blotted out, if they accept Jehovah and His gracious arrangements,
just as these ignorances and blemishes are in the present time forgiven
the disciples of Jesus, and we who believe are counted as free from all
condemnation though our Redeemer's merit and sacrifice. So the people
blinded of this world, when they come to a knowledge of Jehovah and an
appreciation of His arrangement, will be cleared of responsibility for
original sin and all the blemishes coming from it, and will be helped by
Jehovah and the glorified Church out of all these blemishes, according
to the promise of His word, that this will be a time of restoration of
all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world
began. -- Acts 3:21.
(86)
Christian people have held various views of the parable of the sheep
and goats, some claiming that the parable has been in process of
fulfillment ever since Christ was on the earth and that it will be
finished at the second coming of Christ. This view is shown to be
erroneous by the first verse of the parable, which definitely locates
the time of its fulfillment. It begins during the time of the second
advent of Christ, as is clearly intimated by the words: "When the Son of
man will come in his glory, and all his holy angels with him, then he
will sit down on his glorious throne; and all nations will be gathered
before him." These momentous events have not yet occurred, and
consequently the parable still belongs to the future.
(87)
Another interpretation given to the parable by some is that at the
second advent of Christ, on the very day of his arrival, all the
billions of the dead will come forth and, together with the living, will
all arrange themselves before Jesus, and that during that 24-hour day
he, as the great King, will separate the sheep class from the goat
class, gathering all the sheep to the right hand and all the goats to
the left hand.
(88)
This interpretation is not very satisfactory to anybody because, first,
it implies that Jesus will not have already made any determination as
respects those who are his and those who are not. (John 10:14) If we fit
this interpretation to the usual but erroneous teaching that all the
dead are either in heaven with God and the angels or in some nether
world with demons and flames, it would imply that they were dealt with
before they were judged. It further implies that some who had gone to
heaven and been there for centuries should have been in the other place,
and other who had possibly gone to the other place by mistake should
have gone to heaven, and this parable shows the time and manner in which
Jesus will finally determine as to whether or not any serious mistakes
had occurred and endeavor to rectify them. Moreover this view supposes
God to be fallible, or else supposes a gathering of millions from heaven
and hell to this earth again for no particular purpose, merely for a
spectacular display which could alter nothing. This view as a whole is
farcical, for it would be absurd to think of any kind of a judgment of
the whole world or a separative gathering into two companies all over
the earth in a 24-hour day. True, this is the prevailing view, but that
proves nothing as respects its truthfulness or its reasonableness. It is
to the discredit of theologians in general that any could entertain
such a thought for a moment, or suppose that the Almighty and his
glorified Son would participate in such a useless sham.
(89)
A more recent view has been presented by the Watchtower leaders,
beginning with "Judge" Rutherford. The earlier Watch Tower taught very
similar to what we are here presenting. But after the death of Brother
Charles T. Russell, "Judge" Rutherford began to form a new organization.
To induce others to submit to this "organization," he brought forth a
new teaching to cause fear in all in the "Bible Student" fellowship.
Basically, the idea was that all who oppose Judge Rutherford's new
teachings would be of the "goat" class and all who agreed with his
doctrine would be of the "sheep" class. All then, who would not bow to
his teachings, would be eternally destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon.
Thus he set up a "golden calf" for all under his influence to worship.
This "golden calf" was none other than the Watchtower organization
leaders, especially himself.
(90)
The Watchtower leaders little by little left the teaching that the
sheep in this parable are the Millennial sheep. In time the Watchtower
began to teach that these sheep are the "great multitude" who pass
through Armageddon. However, this interpretation cannot follow through.
Why not? Because, as we have shown, the individual judgment of the world
is not yet. The time when the nations are gathered for individual
judgment is during the Millennial reign of Jesus. Remember that Jesus
said: "I am coming as a light into the world, that whosoever believes in
me should not remain in darkness. And if any man hears my words, and
does not believe, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the
world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and does not receive
my words, has one that judges him -- the words that I have spoken, the
same will judge him in the last day." (John 12:46-48)To say that God is
judging individuals now for eternal life or eternal death when he wasn't
when Jesus was here on the earth is beyond reason. Today the world is
filled with more deceptions, more corruptions, and more confusion than
ever before. Of all generations, the present generation should be
considered the foremost generation in need of being liberated from its
darkness and receiving the light of truth. Yet the present stand of the
Watchtower would deny this. In the Watchtower book, You Can Live Forever
in Paradise on Earth , we find this statement: "After Armageddon no
part of this wicked world will remain. Only persons who serve God will
continue to live." (page 155) While we could agree with this statement
as it stands, the application of the sheep and goats to the present age
would mean that all who fail to understand, believe, or obey the
Watchtower teachings are going off into eternal destruction, which we
deny. On page 183 of the same Watchtower book we read:
Will you be there to enjoy the good things that Jehovah God has in store? This will depend on whether you survive an earlier judgment day, namely the present `day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.' -- 2 Peter 3:7.Yes, since Christ returned and sat down on his heavenly throne, all humankind has been on judgment. This present `day of judgment' comes before the 1,000-year Judgment Day as `goats' will be destroyed because they fail to help Christ's anointed `brothers' in their service to God. In time, these `goats' show themselves to be unrepentant sinners, wicked, hardened in their practice of unrighteousness. The `sheep,' on the other hand, will be blessed with life under the Kingdom rule because they support Christ's `brothers' in every way. -- Matthew 25:31-46."
(91)
Thus is laid the groundwork for obtaining the absolute obedience of
unwary newcomers to their organization. On page 193 of the same book it
is claimed that their organization is headed by a few of Christ's
"brothers" who have been appointed as the "faithful and discreet slave
class." (Matthew 24:45-47)
(92)
"On his return in Kingdom power in the year 1914, did Christ find a
`faithful and discreet slave' class providing spiritual `food,' or
information? Yes he found such a `slave' class providing spiritual
`food,' or information? Yes, he found such a `slave' made up of the
remaining ones on earth of his 144,000 `brothers.' (Revelation 12:10;
14:1,3) And since 1914 millions of persons have accepted the `food' they
provide, and have begun practicing true religion with them. This
organization of God's servants is known as Jehovah's witnesses."
(93)
Imagine now how those who know nothing, or very little, of the truth
about the ransom could easily become frightened into obedience to these
religious leaders! But does the Watchtower present the correct
understanding of the parable of the "sheep and goats?" No. The gathering
of the nations here takes place by restoring them to life so that they
may be judged, not by their past works, but by their works as related to
the books that will then be opened. (Revelation 20:11-13). It is not
the gathering of nations that takes place at Armageddon for the
executing of God's judgment as begun upon man through Adam. "`Therefore
wait for me,' says Jehovah, `until the day I rise up for plunder, my
determination is to gather the nations, to my assembly of kingdoms, to
pour on them my indignation, all my fierce anger. All the earth will be
devoured with the fire of my jealousy." (Zephaniah 3:8) This is just
before or at the beginning of the 1,000-year reign of Jesus, when God
executes judgment upon all the ungodly. This same period is when the day
of Jehovah comes as a thief upon the world. The execution of judgment
at that time is to convince the ungodly of their sins, thus indicating
that their destruction is not eternal but rather for the purpose of
disciplining. (Jude 1:15; 2 Peter 3:7,10) It is during this transition
period that Satan's world is destroyed. It is not until after the
destruction of this present evil world that Jehovah `turns to the
peoples a pure language.' (Zephaniah 3:9) The Watchtower leaders have to
admit that the peoples of the world are still being blinded by Satan.
(2 Corinthians 4:4) It is not until after Satan is bound and the veil of
blindness is removed that it can truly be said that the nations have
received a pure language. (Isaiah 25:6-7; Revelation 20:3) And the
method of gathering the nations at that time will be through the
awakening of the dead, in the day when many will be turned to
righteousness. -- Revelation 20:11-13; Daniel 12:2,3.
(94)
And thus we have the proper setting for the judgment of the sheep and
the goats. The "sheep" of the parable are not the sheep of the present
age, whom the Master knows and who know the Master. (John 10:14) Rather
these are the "other sheep" who are not of the fold that recognize the
Master in the present age. They are brought forth out of death. These
become the sheep of the next age. These do not inherit a place in the
ruling house of God, but do inherit the kingdom prepared from the
founding of the world, the kingdom that was prepared for Adam and which
he lost. (Matthew 25:34; Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8:3-8; Hebrews 2:6-8) These
inherit these promises, not after Armageddon, but after the final
eternal destruction of the wicked which takes place after the
thousand-year reign of Christ, the day which God has appointed "in which
he will judge the world in righteousness." -- Revelation 20:7-9; Psalm
37:9-11; Acts 17:31.
(95)
The work of individual judgment here described is upon those of the
nations, that is, those outside Jehovah's favor. Thus Jesus describes
the work of the Millennial Age: "All nations will be gathered before
him." The "great multitude of Revelation 7 cannot be included in the
parable of the sheep and goats. Why not? Because they come out of the
nations and become God's people during the present evil world. They are
part of God's "called-out" class, his church. The people of the nations
who do not become part of the "great multitude" simply remain under
God's wrath as placed upon them through Adam. (John 3:36) After
Armageddon's destruction, the light will then shine upon all nations as
they are gathered from the grave. (John 5:28,29) Then all the blind eyes
will be opened, all the deaf ears will be unstopped, and the knowledge
of the glory of Jehovah will fill the whole earth. -- Isaiah 35; 11:9.
(96)
We might be inclined to think that, with all the blessed favors,
privileges, opportunities and knowledge which the Millennial Age will
bring to the world, the whole human family would develop into sheep. But
the parable teaches to the contrary. There will be some who, even after
their eyes and ears will have been opened to see and appreciate
something of Jehovah's goodness, will still fail to develop that measure
of loving obedience and accord with righteousness which would have his
approval. They do not receive the mark as sheep which would entitle them
under the divine arrangement at the close of the Millennial Age to be
ushered into the everlasting Kingdom of God.
(97)
The Scriptures indicate that the gathering to judgment will be a
gradual one, not all at the same moment, not all on the same day, not
all in the same year. All nations will be gathered, however, including
the nations destroyed in Armageddon's battle. Gradually, more and more
they will be gathered from the tomb, until all the race will be
assembled excepting those who have been favored in advance during this
Good News Age. All will see the King in his beauty. All will discern
that they are living under the reign of Immanuel. All will realize that
the clouds and darkness of this present time of evil, of sin, of Satan,
have rolled away and a new dispensation has been inaugurated. Then it
will no longer be necessary to suffer for righteousness' sake but only
for evil doing. The work of separating will be a gradual one, and will
not be fully completed until the close of the Millennial Age. Each
member of Adam's race will have a full opportunity for not only
receiving instruction in righteousness, but for making his personal
decision as respects the same. In other words, each will have an
opportunity for the development of personal attributes in God-likeness.
Those who refuse or neglect the opportunity for formation into
God-likeness prove themselves unworthy of everlasting life and will be
amongst the goats, while all who will develop true God-like attributes
will be amongst the sheep.
(98)
It will be the work of the entire Millennial Age to bring this about.
Righteousness will reign then, as sin reigns now. That is to say, it
will be in control, in the ascendancy; and whosoever will sin then will
suffer promptly. Hence all the nations will be avoiding sin. Then the
world in general will be a grand place, where "nothing will hurt or
destroy"; where "the inhabitant will not say: `I am sick'"; where the
curse will be gradually rolled away, and there will be no more crying,
no more sighing, no more dying; and where the blessing of God, bring
perfection, will prevail. "Oh happy day!" we exclaim. And surely it will
be such; for all who live through those thousand years will have a
great blessing. -- Psalm 72:7; Isaiah 11:9; 33:24; 65:25; Revelation
22:3; 21:4.
=========
See our study:
The Timeframe of Matthew 25:31-46
=========
See our study:
The Timeframe of Matthew 25:31-46
The Law of Retribution
(99)
But, some inquire, what about the sins of the world? Will there be no
chastisements, no punishments, for these? We answer that it will be
equally just for God to forgive the sins of the world for Christ's sake
as it has been just for him to forgive the sins of the disciples of this
age for Christ's sake. If the one is just, so will be the other. God is
no respecter of persons, and is equally as willing to forgive the sins
of the world as the sins of the disciples of Jesus, when the those of
the world, repenting from sin, will turn from it, and accept Christ as
their Redeemer.
(100)
This does not mean, however, that justice is to be ignored. In the case
of the disciples of Jesus today, note how the sins of youth may leave
their scar and sting to the end of life. The disciples of Jesus in this
age may have to continue to fight against tendencies he has acquired or
inherited until the day he dies. And so we may reasonably assume that
certain strifes, or punishments, will be permitted to follow the world
in just the same manner. They will return with the same traits,
tendencies, etc., with which they died. The liar will still be prone to
lie; the thief will still have a desire to steal; etc. It will be from
these weaknesses and frailties that they will be gradually raised up to
perfection during these blessed thousand years of Christ's kingdom, when
Satan will be bound and not permitted to deceive any during that
period. -- Isaiah 26:9; Revelation 20:3.
(101)
But what about the heart condition? If conformity to the divine law in
an outward way will bring blessings to all, will there not still be a
difference between the people -- some coming heartily into accord with
the Father, and others merely outwardly into harmony, because this
outward harmony will be the way to restoration, perfection?
(102)
Undoubtedly this is the correct reasoning. It is along this line that
the parable before us teaches; namely, that outwardly the "sheep" and
the "goats" will have much the same appearance and demeanor, except to
the Judge, the King, who will read the heart and ultimately will
manifest to all that there has been a real heart difference between the
two classes, all of whom will have been on trial during the thousand
years, receiving blessings from the kingdom.
The Basis of Judgment
(103)
All the while each individual will be more and more learning how to
obey God's law, some ingraining this law in their hearts while others
only learn to refrain from sins of violation toward others. Their true
character will be fully appreciated by the great Judge, and the
individual will be rated as a "sheep" or as a "goat." All the sheeplike
ones will thus be received at the right hand of Jesus. All the goatlike
ones will be rated as out of favor with Jehovah, even though all the
while they will be receiving the blessings of the Millennial kingdom and
outwardly rendering obedience to its laws.
(104)
Not until the conclusion of the Millennium will the decision of the
Judge be manifested. Then great surprise will be shown at his decision
-- by both parties. To the "sheep" at his right hand he will say: "Come,
you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34) When God laid the foundation
of the earth it was his design to have it inhabited with perfect, happy
humans. (Isaiah 45:12,18) This is not the same kingdom as the Messianic
kingdom. On the contrary, it is the kingdom which God gave to Adam,
which Adam lost through his disobedience and which Christ redeemed by
the sacrifice of himself. (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8:4-8; Hebrews 2:7-9) It
will be given to those who will have developed complete Godlikeness --
those who have become the Lord's "other sheep" during the Millennium.
John 10:16.
(105)
Then the other class, the goats of the parable, will be sentenced:
"Depart, you cursed ones, into everlasting punishment." Granted all the
privileges, blessings and experiences during the thousand years of
contact with righteousness, truth and the spirit of God, these, though
they had rendered an outward obedience in refraining from sins of
violation, but at heart they had not come into harmony with God. They
will, therefore, not be recognized as "sheep." Failing in developing
pure Godlikeness they cannot be presented to the Father as blameless and
irreprovable. They will have to be destroyed. This punishment, however,
the final vengeance of God, is the second death, "everlasting
destruction." (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9) Their penalty is an everlasting
one because there will be no further provision made for their redemption
or for a resurrection from the second death. They will have failed
utterly to appreciate the goodness of God and to develop into his
likeness. Eternal life is only for those who have God's likeness and
God's spirit. `The Father is seeking such to worship him in spirit and
truth.' -- John 4:23.
(106)
Both classes, the "sheep" and the "goats," will be surprised at what
the King, the Judge, declares to be the basis of his judgment. To the
sheep he will say: "I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty,
and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and
you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you
came to me." To the goat class he says: "I was hungry, and you did not
give me food. -- I was thirsty, and you did not give me drink. I was a
stranger, and you did not take me in; naked, and you did not clothe me;
sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me." -- Matthew
25:35,36,42,43.
(107)
Both the "sheep" and "goat" will claim that they had no knowledge of
any such experiences. Each asked: When did we do these things, or not do
these things? Jesus' reply will be: "Inasmuch as you have done [or have
not done] it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done
[or not done] it unto me." Matthew 25:40,45.
The "Brothers" Of Christ
(108)
Now who are these "brothers" respecting whom there will be a test upon
the sheep class and upon the goat class? Will there be people sick,
hungry and in prison during the Millennium? Does the Lord wish us to
understand that there will be such things then? We have, on the
contrary, always assumed that sickness, poverty, hunger and prisons will
then be gone forever. What does it all mean?
(109)
Let us explain. With the establishment of the kingdom all who come into
harmony with it will have the great privilege of doing something to
help others. The world is blind and starved now, for lack of spiritual
food and the anointing eye-salve of truth. While the Millennial
blessings will be showered upon those who accept Jehovah's terms, there
will be others who will need assistance. Those who develop within
themselves true love will be glad to carry the heavenly message of
reconciliation to all humanity, glad to apply the eye-salve to the
blind, glad to unstop the ears of the deaf, glad to help the sin-sick
back into harmony with God helping them to cover their nakedness with
the merit of Christ.
(110)
All who will take pleasure in this work will thus be manifesting that
they have God's spirit and are co-laborers with him. All these will be
the sheep. On the other hand, those who will be careless in respect to
their vow, and merely enjoy the Millennial blessings themselves, will be
of the goat class and will thus be marking themselves as a "goat."
Correspondingly they will be out of favor with the great King of kings,
their Judge, the Lord of glory.
(111)
Those now sitting in darkness will then be invited to come out of the
prison house of darkness. (Isaiah 42:7) When the world is awakened, they
will still be sitting in darkness. They will need to be "visited" while
yet in this prison so that they may be enlightened and thus be released
from that prison house. The "sheep" class will be happy to "visit"
these new ones coming forth from the graves in order to assist them. The
goats will not be interested in helping others.
(112)
But how are these ones coming out of the graves Christ's "brothers?"
Some have claimed that the 144,000 (Revelation 7:1-4; 14:1) are the only
brothers of Christ. It is true that in a special way the 144,000 become
"brothers" to Jesus. But we note also that the apostles Peter and Paul
as well as Stephen referred to the Jewish people of their day as their
"brothers." (Acts 3:12,17; 7:2; 13:16,26,38; 22:1; 23:1,5,6; 28:17;
Romans 9:3) Additionally, Paul included the men of Athens as "offspring
of God." (Acts 22:28,29) And since the whole creation is to share in the
glorious liberty of the children of God, Jesus shared in the same as
the children, that is, "man" referred to in Hebrews 2:6-8, to whom was
subjected all things. Man was given dominion over all things in the
beginning, but it was lost to him through Adam's disobedience. Thus
Hebrews 2:8 tells us that now we do not see all things put under him,
that is, mankind. Verses 9 and 14 tell us that Jesus shared the same as
the children the offspring of God -- mankind. Thus he is not ashamed to
call them his "brothers," (verse 11) "because the creation itself will
also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God." (Romans 8:21) To be released from this
bondage would indicate they will be led by God's spirit, thus becoming
sons of God. (Romans 8:14,15) Thus in a broad sense all mankind could be
called his brothers, since he partook of the same humanity.
(113)
The eternal fire is the fire of God's jealousy or anger, which burns
against and destroys everything antagonistic to his righteousness.
(Zephaniah 1:18; 3:8) It is, of course, merely a figurative expression
representing the destructiveness of God's eternal jealousy for
righteousness.
The Rewarding of the Sheep
(114)
The rewarding of the sheep and the punishing of the goats will come at
the close of the Millennial Age. True, great blessings will be upon all
during the Millennial Age, upon each in proportion to his obedience to
the divine standards, but only at the close of the age will the full
reward be granted. The reward to be granted to those "other sheep" will
be the kingdom which God prepared from the foundation of the world, from
the time of Adam's creation. That kingdom was given to Adam originally;
he was the first king of earth while in the image of his Creator. As it
is written of him: "You [Jehovah] have made him a little lower than the
gods and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have
dominion over the works of your hands, you have put all things under his
feet." -- Psalm 8:5,6.
(115)
By disobedience father Adam lost the rulership and power in his
kingdom, and the entire kingdom of God's earthly creation has suffered
as a consequence. The reign of Christ during the Millennium will be for
the purpose of lifting up so many of mankind as will then desire to come
back into full harmony with Jehovah, lifting them up out of the mire of
sin and out the miry clay and horrible pit of sin and death, lifting
them up to all that Adam was before he sinned -- to the image and
likeness of their Creator. This the apostle Paul designates
"restoration" (Acts 3:20,21), which he tells us takes place during
Christ's return.
(116)
But even the obedient of mankind will not be fit to be entrusted with
the kingdom of the world until absolute perfection will have been
reached, and the perfection of the race will not be attained, as we have
seen, until the end of the thousand-year day appointed for the purpose.
Then the worthy will be granted the kingdom of earth, the dominion
under the whole heavens. With this transfer of the earthly control to
the perfect man at that time, Christ's Millennial Kingdom or mediatorial
Kingdom will end. In delivering the Kingdom up to the perfect and
worthy members of the race he will be delivering it up to the Father, in
full harmony with the Father's original arrangement, interfered with by
original sin. What the glories of this earth will be when man, the king
of the earth, will be restored to the image of his Creator, and when
the earth itself will be filled with the glory of God, we cannot begin
to completely comprehend in our present state. We can only wonder and
praise and adore the loving God, whose provision has been so bountiful
for every creature, every member of the fallen race.
The Punishment of the Goats
(117)
After the day of Judgment Satan will be loosed from his bonds for a
short period of time. (Revelation 20:7) It appears that then those of
the goat class will show their true colors as they follow Satan at that
time. (Revelation 20:8) It is at the end of this short intermediate
period that the goats receive their punishment of "everlasting
destruction." In Revelation 20:8 they are pictured as being destroyed by
fire that comes down from God out of heaven. Revelation 21:8 speaks of
them as `cowardly and unbelieving, having become foul, murderers,
fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, liars,' etc. These have their portion
in the second death represented by the "lake of fire." We do not
believe that during this short period of time when Satan is released
that the goat class will actually be permitted to enter into murder. But
our thought is that by their hatred for their fellow-man they show that
they have murder in their hearts. Exactly how all this will be
fulfilled toward the goat class during the short period of time Satan is
let loose we do not presently know. All we can see is that somehow
Satan gets the goat class to follow him against God.
(118)
Their sentence to eternal destruction evidently occurs just at the
close of the 1,000 year reign of Christ. It appears to be delayed for
only a short time as they depart into the everlasting fire made ready
for the devil and his angels. The everlasting fire represents God's
eternal zeal for righteousness and against unrighteousness. At the end
of the Millennium it is made ready or prepared to destroy all in
opposition to God. But they are allowed a short period of time to prove
their opposition. Therefore they are sentenced sometime before they
receive their punishment. They receive the sentence of eternal
destruction because of failure to develop the spirit of love, for love
is the fulfilling of the law. None can meet the divine approval except
those whose sentiments will attain to the degree of loving Jehovah with
all their hearts, minds, being and strength, and their neighbors as
themselves. (Matthew 23:37-40; Romans 13:8; Galatians 5:14; 6:2) The
sheep of the Millennial Age, we may be sure, will attain to this love
which God's law marks as the proper measure of God-likeness. The goats
of the Millennial Age, we may be equally sure, will be the ones who will
not have this God-likeness.
"Into Everlasting Punishment"
(119)
The Greek word rendered "everlasting" is not as strong as our English
word which represents it. However, on this point we raise no question;
it is the same word that is used in referring to everlasting life which
will be granted the sheep. It may be well, however, to notice that life,
being Jehovah's gift to the sheep, implies that no life will be given
to the goats -- it thus implies the kind of punishment which the
Scriptures describe, namely, a death punishment, an extinction of life;
and this extinction of life will continue forever, as we have seen.
Hence while the punishment is everlasting, the second death condemnation
does not mean that the person continues to consciously suffer over and
over and over for every split second for all eternity; the wages of sin
for the first condemnation in Adam was not eternal suffering, for Jesus
suffered once, not for eternity to pay those wages of sin. (Hebrews
7:27; 9:26; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18; 4:1) Likewise, with the second
condemnation, only there is no more sacrifice for sin that will cover
anyone under the second condemnation, thus the resulting death is an
everlasting punishment, signifying a death from which there will be no
release. -- Hebrews 10:26.
All Creation Praises Jehovah
(120)
With Satan and his demons as well as all the goat class destroyed, what
a joyous time all creation will then have! This final victory results
in the exaltation of Jehovah as described in Psalm 145:10: "All your
works will praise you, O Jehovah!" The whole universe will then be
cleansed, so one could diligently seek to find a wicked person, and
there would be none. (Psalm 37:10) For "the meek will inherit the earth
and delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11) "Let
everything that has breath praise Jehovah!" (Psalm 150:6) What a happy
time that will be then!
Related Links:
Both Jehovah Judges and His Son JudgesUnbelievers Saved (Delivered) for Judgment in Last Day
Mankind’s Coming Day of Judgment
Ages in the Bible and the Last Day of Judgment
The Third Heaven and Paradise
Whoever Will Call Upon the Name of Jehovah
The Repentance of 2 Peter 3:9
I have for many years been fascinated with Russell's teaching that all mankind will be raised to "a first real chance" (I believe this is how it is defined) on earth in the millenium there to receive education in the ways of godly life ending with a final examn to be deemed worthy of living forever. But I can not find anything on where Russell received this teaching from and who if any taught it before him? Was it entire his own revelation or? Please help.
ReplyDeleteJoen, Evidently, I am not receiving emails when someone posts to this blog, so I wasn't aware until to day of your question.
DeleteThere were some before Brother Russell who seemed to understand something of the restitution blessings for mankind; Brother Russell was certainly the first I know of to bring it all together, so to speak, in a systematic study form, with the ransom for all in the center.