Trumpet Ministries,The End-time Revival
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The two thousand years from the birth of Christ compose the Church Age. During this period the emphasis is on calling out God’s elect and building them into the image of Christ, and pressing them into untroubled union with God.
But what about the remainder of mankind?
When the Lord builds Zion to His satisfaction He will appear with His saints and holy angels. Then the people of the nations will be judged, some being assigned to eternal life and some cast into the Lake of Fire.
Much is stated in both the Old and New Testaments concerning the nations that will enter salvation when the royal priesthood is ready to appear with the Lord.
For the earnest expectation of the creature [the material creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)
The nations will believe in the Lord Jesus when the Church has entered the rest of union with Christ in God.
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)
The world is waiting to see the good works that will be demonstrated by the saints when they are in the rest of God.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
Having your conversation [behavior] honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation [when God comes to judge the world]. (I Peter 2:12)
All the ends of the earth will come to the Church when the Church is filled with the Glory of the Lord.
And the Gentiles [nations] shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:3)
Righteousness and praise shall appear to the nations through the Church.
For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11)
Notice the following passage:
For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles [nations] shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (Isaiah 62:1,2)
One translator, in his haste to show that God’s people will never be righteous except by imputation (legally ascribed righteousness), inserted the adjective "imputed" before the word "righteousness" in Isaiah 62:1. The insertion of "imputed," signifying an ascribed righteousness, is neither found in the Hebrew text nor is it even logical. How can the nations behold an imputed righteousness or walk by the light of an ascribed righteousness? So great is the blindness that rests on Christian thinking!
The Lord Jesus described how some nations will enter into the Kingdom of God, and some into the Lake of Fire, when He returns to the earth.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (Matthew 25:31,32)
The present writer is not certain whether the sheep and goat judgment will take place with living nations of people at the return of the Lord, or whether the sheep and goat judgment is part of the White Throne judgment that will occur at the termination of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
If the sheep and goat separation is to take place at the return of the Lord, this would mean that at the beginning of the thousand-year period some nations would enter eternal life and some would go into the Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matthew 25:34)
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)
Consider the consequences of some nations having eternal life and being in the Kingdom of God, and others being in the Lake of Fire, throughout the thousand-year period.
This would mean that the righteous nations, being in the Kingdom of God and possessing eternal life, would be being ruled with a rod of iron and broken in pieces. This would not be impossible because even the righteous of today are saved with difficulty.
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Revelation 2:27)
This would mean that the righteous nations, being in the Kingdom of God and possessing eternal life, would be among the nations that revolt against the saints at the end of the thousand-year period. Again, this is not impossible because we may notice that people that have served the Lord for many years will meet some hurdle that will cause them to rebel against the Lord. Satan deceives them in some manner or another and they do not keep themselves strong enough in the Lord to overcome the temptation.
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:8,9)
This would mean also at the White Throne judgment, which takes place after the thousand-year period, after the present earth and heaven have passed away with a great noise, the "sheep" would be resurrected and stand before God and be judged once again. We know that the "sheep" would not experience resurrection prior to the end of the thousand-year period because only the royal priesthood is raised when the Lord come. The rest of the dead must wait until the end of the thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)
If the sheep and goat judgment takes place at the beginning of the thousand years, when the Lord returns, then the "goats," being members of nations alive on the earth at the coming of the Lord, would be cast into the Lake of Fire before they died physically. The Scripture teaches that it is appointed to men once to die and after this be judged.
We understand that the Beast and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire without having died physically, but we believe this to be an exception.
Perhaps the reader can understand why we are not certain about the placing the sheep and goat judgment at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
If we put the sheep and goat judgment at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, then the sheep and goat judgment becomes the judgment of the White Throne, which is the Judgment Seat of Christ. We see no problem arising from such a placement.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)
The future, then, would look something like this.
Because of persecution, and also the abundance of sin, the present Christian churches will be divided into nominal believers and a holy, faithful remnant. The nominal believers will join with the great Babylon, the huge religious institution of the last days, while the remnant are driven from the cities of the earth and made ready for the Lord by the things they suffer.
When the Lord returns He will call up to Himself His holy remnant, consisting of both Gentiles and Jews who have fled from the face of Antichrist.
This is the first resurrection, the resurrection of the royal priesthood.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)
Here is the royal priesthood. The invitation to membership in the royal priesthood must be grasped by giving one’s life completely to the Lord.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ. (Philippians 3:12)
Christ and His remnant, His army, His priesthood, will return to the earth in glorified bodies. They will deliver Jerusalem from Antichrist and drive Satan and all his followers from the earth. The nations that are left after the Battle of Armageddon will be governed with a rod of iron. The nations will go up to Jerusalem to learn the righteous ways of the Lord. The law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Life will continue on the earth much as today except that righteous spirits will be governing from the spiritual thrones in the air. In some respects the thousand-year Kingdom Age is a continuation of the Church Age. During this time the Church, the Bride of the Lamb, will be perfected.
The thousand-year Kingdom Age is the third thousand-year period, the "third day."
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea 6:2)
And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. (Luke 13:32)
At the end of the thousand years the nations, having been governed by the saints throughout the Kingdom Age, will be seduced by Satan and will revolt against the saints. Fire will come down from the heaven and consume them.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:9)
Christ now appears on His great White Throne. The earth and the heaven flee from His Presence. All the dead will be raised and stand before that throne. How this will be possible we do not know since there will no earth or sky. But we know that Enoch, Elijah, and the Lord Jesus are in the spirit realm today in their bodies, and so what is possible in the spirit realm is not known to us at this time.
The only people possessing resurrected bodies at the beginning of the White Throne judgment will be the Lord Jesus and the royal priesthood. Everyone else will stand before that throne and be judged according to his works.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)
The dead great and small will be there. The great "sea" of people will be there. Those in "death" will be there. Those in Hades will be there.
Whoever is not found in the Book of Life will be put into the Lake of Fire. This is what it means to be lost.
Whoever is found in the Book of Life will be brought forward into the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus. This is what it means to be saved.
There will appear a new sky and a new earth—unbelievably greater in size and glory than anything we ever could imagine. Down from the new sky will descend the holy city, the Bride of the Lamb, the royal priesthood, the new Jerusalem.
All the saved nations of people will walk in the light of the royal priesthood. The saints will rule over the nations on the new earth for eternity.
Seeing we have opportunity to be a member of the royal priesthood and to inherit all these marvels, especially to inherit the members of the saved nations as well as the farthest reaches of the earth, let us lay aside every weight that would hinder us and fight on until at last we enter the rest of God and are made an eternal part of Christ.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)
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