Has God changed His mind because the first sentence was too severe? No, not at all. The rest of humanity will have an opportunity for life everlasting as earthly sons in the future. The Church, as the “firstfruits” of redemption, will inherit immortality-divine nature (James 1:18 Romans 2:7 1 Corinthians 15:53). JUDGMENT DAY BIBLE TRIALThey alone are on trial for life or death now before the world's time for judgment. After being given “exceeding great and precious promises,” if they “abound” in godliness and love, they will receive an abundant entrance “into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:4-11). Only the Church of consecrated believers in Christ have now by faith “escaped” from this original penalty (2 Peter 2:20). Every ache, pain or funeral is evidence of that universal sentence, but because mankind will be recovered from Adam's penalty, death is really like a temporary “sleep” (John 11:11-14). “As in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22). “Dying thou shalt die” (Genesis 2:17, margin). When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, the whole human race was sentenced to death as a result. When we consider all the work to be accomplished for earth's billions, this wider meaning of “day” is most logical.Īlthough mankind as a whole will yet have a Thousand-Year Judgment Day for trial and sentencing, there have been other judgment days in the past. “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). It is the Millennial “day of Christ” in which Christ will reign, and “judge the world in righteousness.” During that age of judgment, the world will be granted a trial for life as well as a verdict (Philippians 2:16 Acts 17:31). The Apostle Peter identifies the “day of judgment” as “a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:7, 8). Although “day” can signify twenty-four hours, it often has a wider meaning-such as Noah's Day, Washington's day, or “the day of temptation in the wilderness,” which was forty years (Hebrews 3:8,9). Its meaning includes a trial with a decision that can go either way-as in a crisis (English). The term “judgment” ( krisis, Greek) means more than a verdict. What do the Scriptures actually teach about the great Judgment Day? What harmonious picture are all the symbols and parables meant to show? Why would goats go into everlasting fire and sheep to heaven? But Revelation is a book of symbols, and parables are stories with illustrations not to be taken literally. It is drawn from a literal interpretation of the Parable of Jesus' dividing “his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-46), and a literal view of the Great White Throne scene of Revelation 20. The general concept of the Judgment Day-a literal 24-hour day-is actually supposed to be a repetition of what had been already decided at death!īut this is not the Scriptural view. They think saints will be called down from heaven to witness all the despair of the condemned, and then return to glory. They think sinners will be called up from hell to hear their sins reviewed and then returned to their eternal doom. They expect Jesus to return and sit on a Great White Throne amidst great calamities of nature such as falling mountains, earthquakes, and rending rocks. Most Christians have a frightening concept of “the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9). “GOD hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained”-”Jesus Christ, the righteous.” “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (Acts 17:31 1 John 2:1 John 5:22).
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