THE LAST AGES AND THE RESURRECTIONS
In the Old Testament prophetic books there are many
instances of prophecies concerning the wrath of God and the Millennium. A brief outline of these events is the
following:
The wrath of
God:
·
The earth is devastated
·
Many people are killed along with most animals
and vegetation
·
There will be volcanoes, meteorites,
earthquakes, a large rock hitting the earth, and fire
·
The rapture will occur; the first resurrection; the
overcomers; the first fruits or the barley harvest that is baked in oil
·
The battle of Armageddon
The Millennial
Age:
·
There will be survivors both good and bad –
people will have long lives but they will continue to experience death
·
Jesus will rule with an iron rod, which will
most likely be necessary
·
The 1st resurrection people will have
glorified bodies and will serve as rulers, judges, and teachers as emissaries
of Christ
·
The principle occupation will be agriculture as
it was with Adam and Eve
·
Animals will cease to be vicious or meat eaters
as in the garden of Eden
The
Post-Millennial Age:
·
The City of God (the New Jerusalem) will be on
the earth as the habitat of Kingdom subjects
·
The 2nd resurrection and the White
Throne Judgment will occur – This is the separation of the sheep and the goats;
the wheat and the tares; the wheat offering that is baked in leaven
·
The sheep and the wheat will be given few
stripes (symbolic representation)
·
The goats and the tares will be judged by the
laws of the lake of fire (cleansed and purified)
It requires a careful study of the above outline for a
Bible reader to comprehend what part of the “end of the age” event is being
described by a particular prophecy.
It is inferred there is an age following the Millennial
age. The length of the post-Millennial age
is not known. Although the City of God
(the New Jerusalem) will be the dwelling place of the righteous saints, it
could be and will be assumed the earth continues its existence as a post-Edenic
habitat as described in Isaiah 65:17-25.
The
Resurrections
To the best of my knowledge, there are only two (permanent)
resurrections of human beings referred to in the Bible. This does not include the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, who is a model of the resurrection of the saints. It also does not include those raised from
the dead at the crucifixion of Jesus, who most likely died again as did
Lazarus.
Some exegetes teach there will be three resurrections but
offer no scripture references and thus, give no validity. This teaching can be found on the internet,
but again, no evidence is given.
The First
Resurrection
The first resurrection occurs at the second coming of
Jesus (sorry pre-tribulation rapture people) as is called the rapture (Latin),
the called-up, and the gathering. This
will include both dead and living, righteous, Kingdom of Heaven servants. As we will note later, this will not include every person calling
themselves a Christian or a child of God.
Some Bible scholars call this group “the first fruits” and/or the
overcomers. There will be survivors on
the earth after the wrath of God. These
first fruit raptured saints will rule, judge, and teach the survivors during
the Millennial age under the Kingship of Jesus Christ, who will rule with a rod
of iron.
Revelation 20:4 KJV And I
saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I
saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the
word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
The Second
Resurrection
The second resurrection at the end of the Millennial age
at or before the great White Throne Judgment.
This will include both the semi-righteous and various levels of
unrighteous. This resurrection was
taught in the parables of the sheep and goats and the wheat and tares. No one will be destroyed but all will be
disciplined by the law of God. Some with
few stripes (probably symbolic) and others with the fiery laws of God as
symbolized by the lake of fire of Revelation and the stream of fire of Daniel.
Revelation 20:15 KJV And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Daniel 7:9 KJV I beheld till
the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was
white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like
the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
Both Jesus and Paul speak of the simultaneous resurrection
of two different classes of people (believers and non-believers)
John 5:28-29 KJV Marvel not
at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice, (29) And shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.
The KJV word “damnation” (from the Greek krisis) has an extremely negative
connotation. To my mind, it conjures the
idea of condemned, a lost cause, and imminent destruction. However, the translation should be “judgment”
or judgement by the law of God.
Thayer Definition: krisis
1) a separating, sundering, separation
1a) a trial, contest 2)
selection 3) judgment
3a) opinion or decision given concerning anything especially concerning
justice and injustice, right or wrong
3b) sentence of condemnation, damnatory judgment, condemnation and
punishment
Paul refers to the identical two classes of people: just and unjust.
Acts 24:14-15
KJV But this I confess unto thee,
that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers,
believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: (15)
And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there
shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
There are several parables dealing with the two
resurrections and their various judgments and punishments, but for now let’s
use the one found in Luke 12:42-49.
Luke 12:42-49 NET The Lord
replied, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts
in charge of his household servants, to give them their allowance of food at
the proper time? (43) Blessed is that slave whom his master finds
at work when he returns. (44) I tell you the truth, the master will put him
in charge of all his possessions.
The faithful and wise servant will be placed in a
position of authority at the first resurrection. This is an example of the overcomers.
(45) But if that slave should say to himself, 'My
master is delayed in returning,' and he begins to beat the other slaves, both
men and women, and to eat, drink, and get drunk, (46)
then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect
him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, and assign him
a place with the unfaithful. (47) That servant who knew his master's will but
did not get ready or do what his master asked will receive a severe
beating.
The second servant has the attitude “the return of Jesus
will not happen in my lifetime so let the good times roll”. He is still referred to as a slave or
servant. The cutting in two could literally
mean cut in half as was supposed to have been done to Isaiah but it can also be
defined as severely beaten. This servant
is to be assigned with the unfaithful so it will be assumed he is not cut into
two pieces but flogged with many stripes and not necessarily judged by the lake
of fire as explained in verse 47.
Thayer Definition: dichotomeō
1) to cut into two parts of the cruel method of
punishment used by the Hebrews and others of cutting one in two
2) cut up by scourging, scourge severely
(48)
But the one who did not know his master's will and did things worthy of
punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much,
much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even
more will be asked.
What about the people who never heard of Jesus or was
never taught Biblical truths? They will
be punished in a light manner (according to their response at the judgment – my
opinion).
(49) "I have come to bring fire on the earth
— and how I wish it were already kindled!
Jesus speaks of the fire of God; the fire of judgement;
and the lake of fire.
There are several scripture references like Luke 12:46
which appears to teach that believers (servants) who do not watch for His
coming will not inherit “eternal life”, but that is not true. In reality, it merely says that such people
will not inherit the first resurrection.
In Luke 1:33 it is written that “OF His kingdom there shall be NO END”. If Luke had used the term aionian (an age of time – not forever) here, he would have been
incorrect. The things OF the kingdom shall truly be everlasting without an end,
not age-lasting. But the Kingdom reign of Jesus lasts only until all enemies
are subdued, including death itself (1 Corinthians 15:25-28). At that point the
Kingdom is turned over to the Father, and the perfected universe enters a
timeless realm of which we know little.
In the original Hebrew and Greek languages, the words, olam and aionian refer to a limited period of time or an age. This is why
most of the early Christian Church scholars understood the lake of fire to be only
age-lasting. Augustine was the first to actually advance an argument against
this, and he did so on a very flimsy basis, because he did not understand the
Doctrine of the Ages and he did not read Greek only Roman.
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