Before this judgement are 2 resurrections and it is vital to know what these resurrections are in order to rightly interpret the scriptures concerning the final judgement.
The first resurrection is related in Revelations 20 in 2 Thessalonians 2 and 1 Corinthians 15 and is called the resurrection of the just, it is the gathering or Rapture of the church. The church will reign with Christ from heaven 1, 000 years while the now converted Jews will reign with Him on earth 1 000 years heaven and earth will be united in Christ and the prayer of the centuries will be answered "Holy Father Thy will be ON EARTH as it is in heaven amen"
After the 1, 000 years will come the end when Our Lord will surrender the Kingdom to the Father. Then comes the 2nd resurrection and the last judgement.
Now let's look closely at this last judgement and see from the word of God whether it has been rightly understood down the centuries. People commonly call this the resurrection unto damnation. The scripture calls it the resurrection of the LIVING and the dead, what about that? do you suppose the living and the dead are the same? And the bible says they will be judged, remember the church are out of this they had been raised 1, 000 years prior "happy and blest are they who attain to the first resurrection" declares John "they are passed from judgement to life"
We have been saved pure grace but these who are now raised are judged for their works, for the deeds they have done while in their bodies and the scripture says they are judged by the book of God and by whether their names are written in the Lamb's book of life, whether you might say whether they belong to the living or the dead.
I do not deny the doctrine of eternal punishment, the horror of the lake of fire but I do protest hotly that those raised in the 2nd resurrection are raised simply to be damned. That is NOT what the bible says.
When God comes to judge He will judge the people with equity, He cannot overlook sin [although He has not overlooked OUR sins, He didn't overlook it but He Himself bore it and bore the punishment of it at the cross. God cannot overlook sin .... can He overlook the good people have done? if they have fed the hungry and clothed the naked? given so much as a cup of cold water to the thirst child of God?
Christian stop damning people to the eternal flame, we must warn the wicked that there is a recompense and punishment to come but we CANNOT be the judges of who is deserving of it. Only God will judge. Thank God He will be the Judge.
If you look at Matthew 25 you find the judgement of the sheep and the goats
vs31. When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all His holy ones with Him then He will sit on His glorious throne.
The word holy ones is sacredos can either mean holy angels or saints, Jerome has already espied the saints or the church in the sheep set on the right hand, he knows we cannot have two groups of people who are the church so he opts to identify sacredos or holy ones as the holy angels but I remind you that the church has been gathered to the Lord 1, 000 years prior "so shall we always be with Him" The Jews have been reigning with Him 1, 000 years from Jerusalem.
There is NO WAY POSSIBLE that those sheep are Christians, the Lord does not address them as Christians He says "Come ye blest of My Father" My Father, not your Father or even the Father "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world for I was hungry and you gave Me food, thirsty and you gave Me drink"
They are being rewarded for deeds.
Nor did they understand the nature of the new birth for they answer "Lord when saw we Thee hungry and gave Thee food?" they did not understand that in ministering to Christ's disciples they were ministering to Himself who dwells in His people.
He replied "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of THESE MY BRETHREN you have done it to Me" "THESE MY BRETHREN" are the church. Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians that when He comes to judge God will bring us with Him. We are the sacredos or all His holy ones.
My brethren, not your brethren or even the brethren. They receive an inheritance, these are the meek who will inherit the earth, the NEW earth.
My friends never believe that BILLIONS and billions of human souls will be in hell.
