Foundational Truths – On Eagles Wings Ministries

About Derek Prince

Derek Prince (1915–2003) was born in India of British parents. Educated as a scholar of Greek and Latin at Eton College and Cambridge University, England, he held a Fellowship in Ancient and Modern Philosophy at King’s College. He also studied several modern languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic, at Cambridge University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

While serving with the British army in World War II, he began to study the Bible and experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Out of this encounter he formed two conclusions: first, that Jesus Christ is alive; second, that the Bible is a true, relevant, up-to-date book. These conclusions altered the whole course of his life, which he then devoted to studying and teaching the Bible.

Derek’s main gift of explaining the Bible and its teaching in a clear and simple way has helped build a foundation of faith in millions of lives. His non-denominational, non-sectarian approach has made his teaching equally relevant and helpful to people from all racial and religious backgrounds.

He is the author of over 50 books, 600 audio and 100 video teachings, many of which have been translated and published in more than 100 languages. His daily radio broadcast is translated into Arabic, Chinese (Amoy, Cantonese,Mandarin, Shanghainese, Swatow), Croatian, German, Malagasy, Mongolian, Russian, Samoan, Spanish and Tongan. The radio program continues to touch lives around the world.

Derek Prince Ministries continues to reach out to believers in over 140 countries with Derek’s teachings, fulfilling the mandate to keep on “until Jesus returns”. This is effected through the outreaches of more than 30 Derek Prince Offices around the world, including primary work in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. For current information about these and other worldwide locations, visit www.derekprince.com

Three Final Judgements

We pointed out in the previous session, that the eternal judgements of God will be carried out in three successive scenes.

The first scene will be the judgement of Christian’s believers before the judgement seat of Jesus.

The second scene will be the judgement of the Gentile nations at the close of the great tribulation, carried out before the throne of Jesus’s glory.

The third scene will be the judgement of all the remaining dead at the close of the millennium, carried out before a great white throne.

We have already examined the first of these three scenes, the judgement of professing Christian’s before the judgement seat of Jesus. Now we shall move on to the next scene: the judgement of the Gentiles at the close of the great tribulation.

First, however, we need to consider the main events which will lead up to this judgement. This will help us to understand why God has ordained a special judgement reserved only for the Gentile nations.

Paul refers to three different categories into which God has divided the human race.

Give no offence, either to the Jews or to the Greeks [Gentiles] or to the church of God (1 Cor. 10:32).

The Jews are a special nation, separated out by God for purposes of His own from all other nations. The Gentiles are all the remaining nations, except Israel. The church of God consists of all true believers who have been born again through faith in Jesus Jesus. These are no longer reckoned by God according to their original nationality, whether Jew or Gentile, but as being “a new nation” in Jesus.

Scripture makes it clear that the judgement we are now considering, before the throne of Jesus’s glory, will be for Gentiles only. No member of either of the other two groups will appear here for judgement. There will be no Jews and no professing Christian’s. This fact agrees with the general revelation of Scripture concerning the close of this present age.

There will be no professing Christian’s at this judgement because all these will already have undergone their own special judgement before the judgement seat of Jesus.

There will be no Jews present at this judgement because by this time Israel, as a nation, will already have passed through her own special judgement. All Jews who survive this special judgement will have been reconciled to God through the acknowledgement of Jesus as Saviour and Messiah.

God’s final dealings with Israel at this time will complete the historical process of judgement through which He has been bringing them for nearly four thousand years. The subsequent judgement of the Gentile nations will mark a transition from historical to eternal judgement.

Tribulation Judgement of Israel

In considering this special judgement of Israel, it is helpful to observe two general principles according to which God deals with the human race: in blessing and in judgement. These may be briefly stated as follows.

1. A principle of blessing. God normally blesses the Gentiles through the Jews, but He blesses the Jews directly.

2. A principle of punishment. God normally punishes the Jews through the Gentiles, but He punishes the Gentiles directly.

These two principles will direct God’s dealings with the human race at the close of the present age.

First, in the closing stages of the great tribulation, God will judge and punish Israel for the last time as a nation, through the instrumentality of the Gentiles. When this final judgement of Israel is complete, God Himself will intervene directly in judgement upon the Gentiles. Jeremiah describes this final judgement upon Israel after they have returned as a nation to their own land.

“For behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,” says the Lord. “And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

For thus says the Lord:

“We have heard a voice of trembling,

Of fear, and not of peace.

Ask now, and see,

Whether a man is ever in labour with child?

So why do I see every man with his hands on his

loins

Like a woman in labour,

And all faces turned pale?

Alas! For that day is great,

So that none is like it;

And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,

But he shall be saved out of it.

For it shall come to pass in that day,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“That I will break his yoke from your neck,

And will burst your bonds;

Foreigners shall no more enslave them.

But they shall serve the Lord their God,

And David their king,

Whom I will raise up for them” (Jer. 30:3-9).

Notice the order of events here foretold by Jeremiah.

1. God will bring Israel back to their own land.

2. There will be for Israel a time of national peril and distress, more terrible than any that they have previously passed through.

3. The Lord Himself will eventually intervene against the foreigners – the Gentile enemies of Israel – and will save Israel from them.

4. The national kingdom of Israel will again be restored upon the throne of David, under the supreme government of the Lord Jesus Himself. This period of the restored kingdom will be the millennium.

This end-time gathering of the Gentile nations against Israel, and the direct intervention of the Lord on behalf of Israel, are further described in Zechariah.

And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it (Zech. 12:3).

For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem . . . Then the Lord will go forth

And fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:2-4).

Here again we see that the present age will close with a concerted attack against Israel and Jerusalem by the Gentile nations but that the Lord Himself will intervene to save Israel. This intervention will culminate in His personal return to the Mount of Olives – the very point from which He ascended into heaven at the commencement of this present dispensation.

As a result of this final period of national peril and distress, all rebellious elements will finally be purged out from among Israel, and those who survive this final purging will then be ready to be reconciled in repentance and humility to their God.

This final purging of Israel is described in Ezekiel 20:37-38, where the Lord first predicts their regathering in their own land and then describes how He will deal with them there.

I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me.

The phrase used here, to “make you pass under the rod,” refers to the process by which a shepherd used to inspect each one of his sheep before admitting them to the fold. As a result of this process, all rebels will be purged out from Israel, and those who are left will be brought into a new covenant relationship with the Lord – through the new covenant in Jesus Jesus.

The intervention of the Lord against the persecuting Gentile nations and His final reconciliation with Israel are further described in Zechariah.

It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn (12:9-10).

It is the Lord Himself here speaking in the first person concerning Israel, and He says, “They will look on Me whom they have pierced . . .” Here is one of the clearest predictions in all Scripture of the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus. However, at this point Israel will at last acknowledge their terrible error, and in great mourning and repentance they will be reconciled with their Messiah, whom they have so long rejected.

In the New Testament Paul describes this final reconciliation of Israel to God.

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom. 11:26).

After Israel has thus passed through the fires of the great tribulation and been reconciled again to God through Jesus Jesus, there will be no further need for God to judge them. Thereafter, when Jesus sets up His earthly kingdom and takes His seat upon the throne of His glory, He will need only to judge the Gentile nations remaining alive on earth at the close of the great tribulation.

Judgement of Gentile Nations

Jesus gives a vivid picture of the judgement of the Gentile nations (see Matt. 25:31-46). There is no suggestion that this is a parable. It is a direct, prophetic prediction, using the analogy of a shepherd dealing with his flock. Let us examine the opening scene.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left (Matt. 25:31-33).

The purpose of the judgement that follows is to separate the sheep (those whom God accepts) from the goats (those whom God rejects). The sheep will be received into the kingdom God has prepared for them – that is, Jesus’s millennial kingdom. The goats will have final, irrevocable judgement pronounced upon them, by which they will be banished into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

These rejected Gentiles will be sent forth not to Sheol or Hades but directly to the place of final punishment of all rebels – the lake of fire. Into this lake the beast – the Anti-Christ – and his false prophet already will have been cast.

The separation between sheep and goats is based upon one decisive issue: the way in which those being judged have treated the brothers of Jesus; that is, the Jewish people.

Many passages of Scripture make it clear that at the close of this age there will be world-wide hostility toward the Jewish people and the state of Israel. Not only will there be a concentrated attack by the Gentile nations against Israel, but Jews in other countries will be subjected to various forms of persecution. In the midst of all this, however, there will be some Gentiles who take their stand – either as individuals or as nations – on the side of the Jewish people. These will do everything in their power to protect the Jews and to alleviate their suffering. At the ensuing judgement, this will mark them out as sheep, counted worthy to enter into Jesus’s kingdom established on earth.

Joel presents a similar picture of the end-time gathering of the nations for God’s judgement.

For behold, in those days and at that time,

When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,

I will also gather all nations,

And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;

And I will enter into judgement with them there

On account of My people,

My heritage Israel,

Whom they have scattered among the nations;

They have also divided up My land (Joel 3:1-2).

God declares that He will first bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem – that is, He will regather the scattered Jewish people in their own land. Then He will gather all the Gentile nations and bring judgement upon them.

The basis of the judgement is the same as that described by Jesus in Matthew 25. God says He will enter into judgement with the nations “on account of My people Israel.” At this stage in history when anti-Semitism is becoming continually more widespread and more aggressive, it is tremendously important for all nations to be warned that they will be judged by God on the basis of their treatment of the Jewish people.

Once the sheep have been separated from the goats, the judgement of the Gentile nations will be complete. By this time all those who are accounted worthy to enter into the period of Jesus’s millennial kingdom will have passed through the refining judgements of God. First, Israel will be purged in the fires of the great tribulation. Then, at the close of the tribulation, the Gentiles will be purged by Jesus’s own direct intervention and judgement.

After these purging judgements upon both Jew and Gentile, there will ensue a thousand years of peace and prosperity, with Jesus ruling as King over all the earth.

At the close of this period of one thousand years, Satan will make one final attempt to organise the Gentile nations in rebellion against Jesus and His kingdom, but this rebellion will be brought to nought by the direct intervention of God.

At this time Satan himself will at last be banished forever from earth and will be cast into the lake of fire, to join the Anti-Christ and the false prophet who will already be there.

With this defeat of Satan’s final uprising, all the rebellious among those living at that time upon the earth will be purged out, and it will then remain to judge the dead of all previous ages. For this purpose, all the dead who have not previously been resurrected will at this time be called forth for judgement. In this way the stage will be set for the third and final scene of God’s eternal judgement.

The Great White Throne

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

Here is the ultimate end of all sin and rebellion against the authority and holiness of almighty God: to be cast forever into the lake of everlasting fire. Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will escape this final judgement. The names recorded in this book are of those who during their life on earth availed themselves, through faith, of God’s mercy and grace. These fall into various categories.

All those who put their faith in Jesus’s atoning sacrifice on behalf of mankind will already have been resurrected at the commencement of the millennium. They will have passed through their own appropriate judgement before the judgement seat of Jesus – not for condemnation, but to assess their reward.

It seems certain that the majority of those who appear before the great white throne will not have fulfilled the conditions for receiving God’s mercy and will therefore be condemned to the lake of fire. Nevertheless, as was pointed out in chapter 46, there will definitely be at least two categories of people before the great white throne who will escape condemnation and enter into eternal life.

The first category will consist of people such as the queen of the South and the men of Nineveh, who availed themselves of the mercy which God offered to them in one brief but decisive revelation of Himself. Scripture does not indicate how many others there may have been in the course of history who were given a similar opportunity.

The second category will consist of all those who died in faith during the millennium.

Can we anticipate that there will be others to whom God will extend mercy from His great white throne? The answer to this is locked up within the omniscience of God. For us, with our limited knowledge and narrow perspective, it is foolish to speculate.

Let us rather adopt the attitude expressed by Abraham.

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25).

Those who have tasted God’s measureless mercy are assured that He will never withhold His mercy from any who qualify for it.

Let us beware, however, of assuming that we can ever fully comprehend all that is included in the outworking of God’s judgements. The studies in this book have merely touched on certain aspects which God has seen fit to record in Scripture. There remain many other areas of this vast subject which are totally beyond our powers of comprehension.

In the last resort, we can only share the awe and wonder expressed by Paul.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out! (Rom. 11:33).

This appropriately concludes the systematic study of the six foundation doctrines of the Christian’s faith which have been the theme of this book.

By means of systematic study, we have thoroughly laid that scriptural foundation of doctrine upon which the faith of every Christian’s may be firmly built. With this foundation laid, it then becomes possible to obey the further exhortation of Hebrews 6:1:

Let us go on to perfection.

Let us continue to build upon this foundation until we have achieved in our lives a completed edifice of Christian’s doctrine and practice. The same Word of God which provides the needed foundation also shows us how we may go on to the perfection of the completed edifice. Therefore, to all those who have followed with me in these studies, I will offer this final word of exhortation, taken from the life of Paul.

And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32).

The Judgement of Christian’s Service

We shall now consider in greater detail the principles by which believers will be rewarded for their service. These are set forth by Jesus in the form of two parables: the parable of the talents (see Matt. 25:14-30) and the parable of the minas (see Luke 19:11-27).

Assessment of Christian’s Service

The central theme of both parables is the same. Each concerns a man of wealth and authority who commits a certain sum to each of his servants to administer on his behalf and then takes a journey to a distant country. After a considerable lapse of time, this wealthy man returns and holds an individual reckoning with his servants as to the way in which each has handled the money committed to him.

In both parables three servants are mentioned individually: the first two are faithful in administering their master’s money; the third is unfaithful. This is how the money was distributed in the parable of the talents:

And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability (Matt. 25:15).

(A talent was a considerable quantity of money, perhaps as much as fifteen years’ wages.)

Notice that this verse reveals the principle according to which the talents are distributed: “to each according to his own ability.” That is, God distributes to each believer the maximum number of talents that his own ability will permit him to use effectively. God does not give to any believer either more or less than he is able to use effectively.

In this parable the first two servants each achieved an increase of 100 percent. The servant who had received five talents gained five more; the servant who had received two talents gained two more. The lord assessed the faithfulness of these servants not by their net gain but by their percentage increase. The servant who gained five talents was not considered more faithful than the servant who had gained two talents, although his net gain in talents was greater. Rather, each of these servants was considered equally faithful because each had achieved the same proportionate increase: 100 percent.

This is indicated by the fact that the words of commendation spoken to these two servants, recorded in Matthew 25:21 and 23, are exactly the same in each verse.

His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Each of them had originally received the maximum number of talents that his ability would allow him to use effectively; each of them had achieved the maximum gain possible – 100 percent. It is on their faithfulness, as expressed in the percentage increase achieved, that their judgement is based. The fact that one man originally received five talents and the other two is not the basis on which their faithfulness is assessed.

In this parable of the talents the third servant merely hid the one talent he had received and later brought it back to his lord in exactly the same condition in which he had received it. For this he was not only deprived of any reward, but he was also totally and finally rejected and cast out from his lord’s presence.

But his lord answered and said to him, “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. Therefore you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:26-30).

There can be no doubt whatever about the meaning of these words. This third servant not only received no reward; he was actually deprived of the one talent which he had originally received, and he himself was cast out from his lord’s presence.

Let us now turn to the parable of the minas in Luke 19. (A mina was a quantity of money equivalent to about three months’ wages.)

In this parable ten servants are mentioned, although only the cases of three of them are described in detail. Originally, all ten servants received the same amount committed to them by their lord: one mina each.

Of the three servants whose cases are described, the first gained ten minas, the second gained five minas, and the third merely hid his mina away and eventually brought it back in the same condition in which he had received it.

It would appear that each of these three servants possessed equal ability, since each received the same amount committed to him. However, they were not equally faithful. The first gained twice as much with his mina as the second. For this reason his reward was twice as great.

Then came the first, saying, “Master, your mina has earned ten minas.” And he said to him, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” And the second came, saying, “Master, your mina has earned five minas.” Likewise he said to him, “You also be over five cities” (Luke 19:16-19).

We notice that, in two respects, the reward of the first servant was greater than that of the second. First, the first servant was specifically commended by his lord as a good servant; the second servant received no such special commendation. Second, the first servant was given authority over ten cities; the second servant was given authority only over five cities. That is to say, their rewards were in exact proportion to the increase which each had achieved.

One further conclusion we may draw from this parable is that rewards for serving Jesus faithfully in this present age will consist in positions of authority and responsibility in the administration of Jesus’s kingdom in the following age. In other words, faithful service in the present age leads to continued and extended opportunities of service in the next age. For those who truly love Jesus there can be no greater joy or privilege than that of continuing to serve their Lord. For those who are faithful, this privilege, begun here in time, will be extended throughout the ages of eternity.

In this parable of the minas, as in that of the talents, the third servant was condemned for being unfaithful and failing to make any use at all of the mina committed to him.

And he said to him, “Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?” And he said to those who stood by, “Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas” (Luke 19:22-24).

In this parable, as in that of the talents, the unfaithful servant not only received no reward, but even the one mina he had originally received was taken away from him. The final end of the servant with the one mina is not revealed in this parable. However, it seems reasonable to conclude that, like the unfaithful servant in the parable of the talents, he was rejected and cast out from his lord’s presence.

In both these parables alike, failure to make active use of the talent or mina committed to each servant is described by the very strong word wicked. In each case the lord commences his judgement of the unfaithful servant by the phrase “you wicked servant.”

From this we learn that, by God’s standards, wickedness consists not only in actively doing that which is bad, but just as much in the failure to do good when it lies within our power to do it.

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).

In other words, the sins of omission are no less serious than the sins of commission.

The same thought is contained in Malachi’s prophetic revelation of God’s judgement.

Then you shall again discern

Between the righteous and the wicked,

Between one who serves God

And one who does not serve Him (Mal. 3:18).

Here we find a clear and sharp distinction made by God between the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are defined as those who serve God; the wicked as those who do not serve God. Once again the lesson is plain: Not to serve God is in itself wickedness.

It was this wickedness that led to the condemnation and rejection of the unfaithful servant in each of the two parables we have studied. In neither of these parables did the rejected servant do anything evil; in each case the ground of his rejection was merely that he failed to do the good which it was in his power to do. In both these parables Jesus indicates that this same principle of judgement will be applied to all those who claim to be His followers and servants.

In a previous session we examined the passage that speaks about the Christian’s whose works are rejected and burned up in the fire of judgement, yet he himself is saved (see 1 Cor. 3:11-15). On the other hand, in the parables which we have now considered, it appears that the unfaithful servant is not only deprived of any reward, but he himself is rejected and cast out forever from his lord’s presence.

This naturally leads us to ask an important question: What is the difference, in God’s estimation, of these two cases? Why should it be that, in the case described by Paul, the man’s works are rejected but he himself is saved, whereas in the parable of Jesus the unfaithful servant not only loses his reward but is himself also rejected and cast out?

The difference appears to be this. In the case described by Paul, the man actually did try to do something active for his master; in fact, the examples of wood, hay and straw suggest that he did a great deal. However, his work was not of the kind or quality that would stand the test of fire. Yet this activity of his – though misguided and unrewarded – did at least serve to prove that his actual faith in Jesus was genuine. For this reason the salvation of his soul was assured even though his works were burned up.

On the other hand, the unfaithful servant with the one talent did nothing at all for his master – either good or bad. This failure to act at all showed that his profession of faith and service was vain and insincere.

Faith without works is dead also (James 2:26).

A faith that does not result in activity of any kind is a dead faith; it is empty, worthless, insincere. Not only does it fail to produce any works of service which can be rewarded; it even fails to secure for the one who professes it the salvation of his own soul. A person who professes faith in Jesus without ever seeking to serve Jesus actively is a hypocrite.

For this reason, the judgement of such a person is to be cast “into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” A careful examination of passages concerning similar judgements (see Matt. 24:51 and Luke 12:46) shows that this place of outer darkness, with its weeping and gnashing of teeth, is the place reserved for the hypocrite and the unbeliever. The unfaithful servant who does nothing at all for his master must take his place in this same category; he is in reality a hypocrite and an unbeliever. The place appointed for him is outer darkness.

Angels Will Eliminate All Hypocrites

This judgement upon the hypocritical servant leads us to one further important conclusion in connection with the events that will lead up to the judgement seat of Jesus.

Before the true professing Christian’s are admitted to the place of Jesus’s judgement seat, all hypocrites and false professing Christian’s will first be separated out from among God’s believing people and will receive the judgement due to them for their hypocrisy and falsehood.

This judgement of hypocrites is described in two parables concerning the kingdom of heaven (see Matt. 13). These two parables are the parable of the wheat and the tares and the parable of the dragnet cast into the sea.

In studying these and other parables in this chapter it is important to determine what is meant by the phrase “the kingdom of heaven.” In Matthew 12:25-28 and in Luke 11:17-20 Jesus speaks about two kingdoms which are in opposition to each other: the kingdom of God (or of heaven) and the kingdom of Satan. Until the present age closes, these two kingdoms will continue to coexist. The kingdom of God includes all created beings who are submitted to His righteous government; the kingdom of Satan includes all who are in rebellion against God’s government.

In Ephesians Paul reveals two levels of Satan’s kingdom. He describes a host of wicked angels who had followed Satan in his initial rebellion against God (see Eph. 6:12). Paul also speaks of human beings who are in rebellion against God. He calls these latter “the sons of disobedience” and indicates that they are controlled by Satan as “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

The “gospel of the kingdom,” proclaimed by Jesus and His apostles, is an invitation extended by God to rebellious men – but never to rebellious angels – to escape from Satan’s kingdom and to enter into God’s kingdom. All who desire to accept this invitation must fulfil two conditions: They must repent of their rebellion and submit themselves in faith to Jesus as God’s appointed ruler.

These two parables – the wheat and the tares, and the dragnet – both reveal that some of those who appear to belong to God’s kingdom have not, in fact, fulfilled these two conditions. They have made an outward pretence of repentance and submission, but it did not come from a sincere heart. Consequently it did not produce the deep, inner reformation of character which alone is appropriate to the kingdom of God. One main purpose of both parables is to reveal the special judgement of God which will come upon these hypocrites at the close of the present age.

In the first of the two parables the servants ask the owner of the field if they should attempt to pull up the tares.

But he said, “No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them” (Matt. 13:29).

This indicates that it would have been very hard for the servants to distinguish the tares from the wheat. Obviously this would not be true if the tares represented people who had not made any profession of faith in Jesus. Jesus goes on to give a full interpretation of the whole parable.

He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matt. 13:37-43).

Jesus identifies the tares as “the sons of the wicked one.” Their presence in the field is no accident. They have been deliberately sown among the wheat by the devil. In other words, it is part of Satan’s strategy to plant hypocrites among the true professing Christian’s. It is one way in which he seeks to discredit the testimony of the church.

Jesus goes on to say that, in the judgement at the end of this age, the angels will first gather out all false professing Christian’s from among the true and cast them into a place of fire, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. After this has been done, “then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” In other words, the false professing Christian’s will first be separated out and cast into a place of fiery judgement. After that, the true professing Christian’s will be manifested in their resurrection glory.

The parable of the dragnet contains the same revelation!

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 13:47-50).

In this parable the dragnet cast into the sea represents the gospel of the kingdom proclaimed in all the world. The various creatures caught in the net represent all those who have made a positive response to the gospel invitation. These include people of every kind – both good and bad, both just and wicked.

At the close of the age, the angels will separate out the wicked from the just and cast them into a place of punishment. Only after that will the good and the righteous go on to receive the blessings and rewards of eternity with Jesus.

In this revelation we see yet another reason why the judgement conducted before the judgement seat of Jesus will not result in final condemnation for any who appear there. Before this judgement of the true believers takes place, the angels will already have separated out and cast into a place of punishment all hypocrites and false professing Christian’s. Thus those who appear before Jesus’s judgement seat to receive their rewards will be only the true and righteous believers, the salvation of whose souls is eternally assured through their sincere faith based on Jesus’s own righteousness.

The Psalms prophetically refer to this process of separating out the hypocrites and false believers prior to judgement of the true believers.

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous (Ps. 1:4-5).

In this prophecy the ungodly are compared to the chaff, while – by implication – the righteous are compared to the wheat. Before the wheat is gathered into the barn, the chaff is first driven away. Before the righteous enter into their eternal reward, the wicked are first separated out from among them and cast out into a place of punishment.

For this reason the psalmist goes on to say that the ungodly and the sinners will never be allowed to take their place in the judgement of the righteous (before the judgement seat of Jesus), nor will they ever be admitted to the congregation of true believers in eternity.

We may state this conclusion as follows: Only true, sincere believers will appear before the judgement seat of Jesus. Prior to this, by the intervention of angels, all hypocrites and false professing Christian’s will have been purged out and cast into a place of fiery punishment.

The Test of Fire

This judgement of believers for rewards is described by Paul:

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Jesus. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:11-15).

Paul makes it clear that this is a judgement not of every man’s soul but of every man’s work. Even if a man’s works are totally burned up, yet his soul will be saved. In the first verse of this passage Paul explains why such a man’s soul is secure.

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (v. 11).

This judgement concerns only those who have built their faith not upon their own works or their own righteousness but upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and His righteousness. So long as their faith remains unmoved upon this foundation, their souls are eternally safe.

When it comes to the assessment of believers’ works, these are placed by Paul in one of two categories. On the one hand there are “gold, silver, precious stones.” On the other hand there are “wood, hay, straw.”

The basis on which these two categories are separated from each other is the ability to stand the test of fire. The items in the first category – gold, silver, precious stones – will be able to pass through the fire without being consumed. The items in the second category – wood, hay, straw – will be consumed in the fire.

One thought immediately emerges from contrasting these two categories:

Quality is of infinitely greater importance to God than quantity.

- Gold, silver and precious stones are all things that are normally found in small quantities but are nevertheless of great value.

- Wood, hay and straw are all things that take up much space and are obtainable in large quantities but are of relatively little value.

Just what is this fire by which the works of professing Christian’s will be tried?

Let us remember that the glorified Jesus will be sitting upon His judgement seat and that each one of us will stand directly before Him. We shall see Him then as John saw Him in his vision on the island of Patmos.

His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters (Rev. 1:14-15).

In this vision Jesus’s feet “like fine brass” in a burning furnace typify the fires of tribulation in which He will judge the sinful acts of the ungodly while His eyes “like a flame of fire” typify the penetrating and consuming insight with which He will assess the works of His own believing people. In the fiery rays of those eyes, as each one stands before His judgement seat, all that is base, insincere and valueless in His people’s works will be instantly and eternally consumed. Only that which is of true and enduring value will survive, purified and refined by fire.

As we consider this scene of judgement, each of us needs to ask himself: How may I serve Jesus in this life so that my works will stand the test of fire in that day?

There are three points concerning which each one of us should examine ourselves: motive, obedience, power.

We should examine our motives. Is the aim of our service to please ourselves, for our own satisfaction and glory, or do we sincerely seek to glorify Jesus and to do His will?

2. We should examine ourselves on the point of obedience. Are we seeking to serve Jesus according to the principles and methods revealed in the Word of God? Or are we fashioning our own forms of worship and service and then attaching to them the name of Jesus and the titles and phrases of New Testament religion?

3. We should examine ourselves in respect of power. Paul reminds us, “The kingdom of God is not in word but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20). Are we seeking to serve God in the inadequacy of our own carnal strength? Or have we been renewed and empowered by the Holy Spirit? If so, then we can say like Paul: “To this end I also labour, striving according to His working which works in me mightily” (Col. 1:29, italics added).

Upon the answers to these questions of motive, obedience and power will depend the issues of our judgement in that day when each one of us shall stand before the judgement seat of Jesus.

God’s Judgements in History

Having established the general principles of divine judgement, we shall now go on to point out two distinct and separate stages in which God’s judgement is administered to the human race.

Historical vs. Eternal Judgements

The first of these two stages is God’s judgement in time; that is, that part of God’s judgement which is carried out upon the scene of human history. The second of these two stages is God’s judgements in eternity.

It is this second stage of judgement which is called “eternal judgement” (Heb. 6:2). Eternal judgement is not carried out upon the scene of time or of human history. Eternal judgement is the judgement which awaits every human soul in eternity, after time and history have closed.

The main purpose of our present studies is to examine the teaching of Scripture concerning God’s judgement in eternity. However, it will be helpful to begin by a brief examination of the first stage, God’s judgement in history. In this way, as we carefully observe this logical and scriptural distinction between God’s judgement in history and God’s judgement in eternity, we shall be able to reconcile certain statements of Scripture which seem inconsistent with each other. Take, for example, the following commandment and warning given to Israel by God.

You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments (Ex. 20:4-6).

Jeremiah reminded the Lord of both the promise and the warning which He had given to Israel.

You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them (Jer. 32:18).

These passages of Scripture and others like them make it clear that – in certain cases, at least – the sins of one generation cause the judgement of God to come upon succeeding generations, as far as down to the third or fourth generation. Conversely, the righteousness of one generation can cause the blessing of God to come upon many thousands of their descendants. Such passages as these all deal with God’s judgements in time; that is, in history.

In order to obtain a complete picture of God’s total judgement, however, we must also consider the many passages of Scripture which deal with God’s judgement in eternity. A very clear picture of this is given in the following message of the Lord to His people Israel through the prophet Ezekiel.

The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

“What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

“As I live,” says the Lord God, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father, as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:1-4).

This passage indicates that, when God through His prophets rebuked Israel for their backsliding, the people tried to excuse themselves by placing the blame for their condition upon the sinfulness of preceding generations. They implied that the national decline of Israel in their day was due to the sins of their ancestors and so God could not justly hold them responsible for their present moral condition. However, God, through this message by Ezekiel, entirely rejects this form of excuse.

Although national decline may have been brought about by the failure of preceding generations, God warns them that He holds each one of them individually responsible for his own moral condition and that each one of them will be judged – in eternity – solely for his own character and conduct, and not at all for anything that his ancestors may or may not have done. This warning is repeated yet more emphatically a little further on.

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself (Ezek. 18:20).

The whole application of this passage is individual and personal. “The soul who sins shall die.” This is not the judgement of a nation or a family; this is the judgement of each individual soul – the judgement by which the destiny of each soul is settled for eternity.

This point is again brought out in verse 24 of the same chapter.

But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

The final words of this verse, “because of them he shall die,” indicate that God is speaking of the condition in which each individual soul passes from time into eternity. The condition of each soul at this moment will determine the destiny of that soul for eternity. The soul that dies in sin can never be admitted into the presence of God thereafter. In Ecclesiastes the same truth is presented under the picture of a tree falling.

And if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie (Eccl. 11:3).

The tree falling corresponds to a man dying. “In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.” The position in which the tree falls decides the position in which it will lie. The condition in which a man dies – the condition of his soul at death – decides what will be his condition throughout eternity. In this respect, each soul is answerable for himself alone and responsible only for his own condition.

These passages in Ezekiel and Ecclesiastes deal with the eternal judgement of God upon each individual soul. The destiny of each soul is settled by the condition in which it dies.

On the other hand, the passages which we considered earlier in Exodus and Jeremiah dealt with the judgements of God in history, worked out from generation to generation in the experience of families, of nations and of whole races.

Viewed in this light, there is no conflict or inconsistency between these two presentations of God’s judgement. In history, the behavior of one generation has an important effect, for good or for evil, upon the course of succeeding generations. This is part of God’s judgement in history. But in eternity, after time and history have closed, each soul will answer to God solely for his own character and conduct. No soul will be justified by the righteousness of another, and no soul will be condemned for the wickedness of another. This is God’s judgement in eternity.

Examples of Historical Judgements

We shall now consider briefly some biblical examples of God’s judgement in history.

There are a number of such judgements recorded in Scripture which set forth God’s attitude toward certain sinful acts or conditions in such a clear and dramatic way that they constitute a warning to all those in succeeding generations who might be tempted to follow in sins of the same kind.

One clear example of this kind is provided by God’s judgement upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground (Gen. 19:24-25).

New Testament writers refer to this event several times.

[God] turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example [or a pattern] to those who afterward would live ungodly (2 Pet. 2:6).

Peter points out that the sudden, dramatic and complete overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah was an example, a pattern, setting forth God’s attitude toward the sins of which these cities were guilty.

Ezekiel gives a very interesting account of the basic moral and social conditions which produced the decline of Sodom, for God says to Jerusalem:

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezek. 16:49).

God here specifies four basic causes of Sodom’s moral decline: pride, fullness of food, abundance of idleness and a lack of concern for the poor and underprivileged in their midst. Out of these basic causes there grew up that particular form of sexual perversion which has ever since been called by the name “sodomy.”

The amazing accuracy of the Bible is once again confirmed as we observe how, in many of the great population centers of our modern civilization, the same moral and social causes are producing the same form of sexual perversion. The Bible does not suggest that this form of sin will in every subsequent case be visited with the same dramatic form of historical judgement, but it does teach that the unchanging attitude of God toward this form of sin has once and for all time been demonstrated by His judgement upon Sodom.

In the light of this revealed judgement of God, all who thereafter turn aside into this form of sexual perversion are left without any excuse. Even though no open judgement of God may fall upon them on the scene of time, their judgement in eternity will be nonetheless severe on that account.

Another dramatic instance of God’s judgement is provided by the story of Ananias and Sapphira (see Acts 5:1-10).

Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, were what we would call religious hypocrites. They sold a possession and brought part of the price to the apostles as an offering to the work of God. This, by itself, was to be commended. However, their sin consisted in pretending that the money which they brought represented the full price of the possession which they had sold. They did this in order to gain the praise and favor of the apostles and their fellow professing Christian’s.

However, by the supernatural revelation of the Holy Spirit, Peter discerned their hypocrisy and charged first Ananias and later Sapphira with lying and seeking to deceive the Holy Spirit. Such intense conviction of sin came upon them that each, in turn, fell down at Peter’s feet, dead. This judgement of God had a strong effect on the people who heard of it.

So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things (Acts 5:11).

Of course, there is no suggestion that God will always judge this kind of behavior by professing professing Christian’s in such a swift and dramatic way. But the unchanging attitude of God toward lying and hypocrisy on the part of professing professing Christian’s is demonstrated by this incident as a warning to all succeeding generations of the church.

On a larger scale, the record of God’s people Israel from the time of Moses down to the present day abounds with examples of God’s judgements in history. At the time when God first gave the law to Israel, before they ever entered into the promised land, God warned them through Moses of the judgements He would bring upon them if they should thereafter turn away from Him in disobedience and rebellion.

One such passage of prophetic warning to Israel is found in Leviticus 26:14-45. God first warns Israel of various judgements for disobedience that He will bring upon them while they are still in their own land. Then He warns them that continued disobedience will bring upon them judgements yet more severe, by which they will be scattered abroad as exiles from their land.

And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas. I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it. I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste (Lev. 26:27-33).

Through the invasion of the land of Israel by the Roman armies under Titus in 70 A.D., and through subsequent invasions, every detail of this prophecy was exactly fulfilled in the experience of Israel.

In the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, the Jews there were reduced to such straits of hunger that they literally ate the flesh of their sons and daughters. Thereafter, all their sanctuaries and religious centers were destroyed. Great numbers of the people were massacred; others were sold into slavery and scattered abroad as exiles. Gentiles from the surrounding countries moved in and took possession of the land thus left desolate. God goes on to warn Israel of their pitiful condition during the ensuing centuries of their dispersion among the Gentiles.

And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee; they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues. They shall stumble over one another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies (Lev. 26:36-37).

Once again, as we look back over the history of Israel, we see that every one of these prophecies has been fulfilled over and over again in the shame, the fear, the degradation and the persecutions that have marked eighteen centuries of dispersal.

However, before the prophecy closes, God also gives a promise that His mercy will never be fully or finally withdrawn from Israel.

Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God (Lev. 26:44).

Just as surely as God’s warnings of judgement have been fulfilled, so has His promise of mercy been fulfilled, even in the midst of judgement.

Viewed thus in the light of prophetic Scripture, the whole history of Israel becomes a demonstration on a world-wide scale of both the judgement and the mercy of God; for even in the midst of judgement God still delights to administer mercy.

Perhaps the most striking example of God’s mercy in the midst of judgement is contained in the story of Rahab, as recorded in Joshua chapters 2 and 6.

From the standpoint of both background and environment, Rahab had everything against her. She was a harlot, belonging to a race appointed to judgement, living in a city appointed to destruction. Yet in humility and faith she dared to cast herself upon the mercy of God, with the result that she and her whole household were spared, and she herself, through marriage to an Israelite, became a member of the direct line from which the genealogy of Jesus was derived.

Thus the case of Rahab proves that no soul is necessarily damned by background or environment. No matter how dark the background or how corrupt the environment, personal repentance and faith on the part of any individual will cancel God’s judgement and call forth His mercy instead.

We find, then, that history, illuminated by Scripture, unfolds the outworking in human affairs of both the judgement and the mercy of God. Even in the midst of the severest judgements, the underlying purposes of God are still those of grace and mercy. For this reason, the revelation of God at work in history is summed up in Psalm 107:43.

Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness [more fully, the covenant-keeping mercies] of the Lord.

For the believer, the supreme lesson of history is the revelation of God’s unchanging faithfulness in working out His covenants of grace and mercy. However, we must not make the mistake of supposing that full and final judgement upon all men’s actions is administered upon the scene of time. Paul warns:

Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgement, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden (1 Tim. 5:24-25).

A similar warning is contained in Ecclesiastes 8:11.

Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Both these passages warn us that God’s judgements are not fully revealed in time. This applies both to the punishment of the wicked and to the reward of the righteous. For the full revelation of God’s final judgements, we must pass beyond the scene of time into eternity.

The Judgement Seat of Jesus

The New Testament reveals three main, successive scenes upon which eternal judgement will be carried out. Each of these scenes is marked out from the others by one distinctive feature: the type of seat upon which the Judge will sit while carrying out the judgement.

In the first scene the seat upon which the Judge will sit is called “the judgement seat of Jesus.” Those to be judged here will be Jesus’s own followers and servants, the true professing Christian’s.

In the second scene the seat of judgement is called “the throne of [Jesus’s] glory.” Those to be judged here will be the Gentile nations remaining upon earth at the close of the great tribulation, prior to the setting up of Jesus’s millennial kingdom upon earth.

In the third scene the seat of judgement is called “a great white throne.” Those to be judged here will be all the remaining dead who will be resurrected at the close of the millennium.

Professing Christian’s Will Be Judged First

We shall begin by considering the picture given in the New Testament of the first of these three judgement scenes – that which is to be carried out before the judgement seat of Jesus. As we have said, those to be judged here will be the true professing Christian’s. To some it may perhaps appear surprising that professing Christian’s are to be judged at all – even more so that they will be the first to be judged. However, this principle is based on Scripture.

For the time has come for judgement to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now

“If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Pet. 4:17-18).

Here Peter, writing as a Christian, says that judgement must begin with “us” – the house of God. It is obvious that by these two phrases he is referring to professing Christian’s. This is confirmed by the fact that those thus described are contrasted with “those who do not obey the gospel of God”; that is, with the unbelievers. Peter makes it clear, therefore, that the first judgement will be that of the true professing Christian’s.

The scene upon which this judgement of professing Christian’s will be carried out is referred to by Paul twice, in very similar language, in two different passages of his epistles.

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Jesus (Rom. 14:10).

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God (Rom. 14:12).

In these two verses the phrase “your brother,” which occurs twice, and the phrase “each of us” make it clear that Paul is speaking only about the judgement of professing Christian’s. Paul’s thought is that as professing Christian’s we should not seek to pass final judgement upon one another because Jesus Himself will do that upon each one, and each one of us will have to answer for himself to Jesus.

As always, where we are considering eternal judgement, it will be an entirely individual matter. This is stressed by the emphatic phrase which Paul uses: “each of us.” Paul uses very similar language to describe this judgement of professing Christian’s in other passages.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Jesus, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

Once again, both the language and the context make it plain that Paul is speaking only of professing Christian’s. Again, too, there is the same emphasis upon the individual – “each one.”

Paul also states that the things which will be brought up for judgement at this time will be “the things done in the body” – the acts and behavior of each Christian’s during his life here on earth.

Paul indicates, too, that every act performed by a Christian while here on earth must fall into one of two categories – either “good” or “bad.” There is no third category, no neutrality. Every act of a Christian has definite value of some kind – either positive or negative. Every act that is not performed in faith and obedience, for the glory of God, is unacceptable to God and therefore bad. It is upon this simple basis, clearly revealed, that each one of us as professing Christian’s must expect to be judged.

In both these passages, speaking of the place which Jesus will occupy while judging professing Christian’s, Paul uses the phrase “the judgement seat of Jesus.” The Greek word here translated “judgement seat” is bema. This word suggests a raised platform used for public address. In other passages of the New Testament it denotes the place of judgement used by the Roman emperor or by one of his deputies to hear and pronounce judgement on cases brought before them.

For instance, when Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to be judged by the emperor, he said:

I stand at Caesar’s judgement seat, where I ought to be judged (Acts 25:10).

The word which Paul uses for Caesar’s judgement seat is bema – the same which he uses elsewhere for the place from which Jesus will judge all professing Christian’s.

Not for Condemnation But for Reward

What will be the nature of the judgement administered to professing Christian by Jesus upon His judgement seat?

First of all we must state clearly and emphatically that this judgement of professing Christian will not be a judgement of condemnation. This vitally important fact, that the true believer in Jesus is cleared from all fear of final condemnation, is affirmed in various passages of the New Testament. Jesus says:

He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

Here there is a clear and sharp distinction. The true believer in Jesus is not condemned; the unbeliever is condemned already on the ground of his unbelief.

Further on in John’s Gospel, Jesus gives the same assurance to each sincere believer.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life (5:24).

Here Jesus gives a definite, threefold assurance to every believer who accepts in faith His word through the gospel. Such a believer already has everlasting life; he has already passed from spiritual death into eternal life; he will never come into condemnation. Paul repeats the same assurance of freedom from condemnation.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1).

All these passages make it plain that true believers in Jesus will never have to face a judgement of which the outcome will be final condemnation. In fact, the true believer in Jesus will never need to be judged at all for sins he has committed. When a person comes as a sinner in faith to Jesus, receiving Him as Savior and confessing Him as Lord, the whole record of that person’s past sins is immediately and eternally blotted out by God, never to be remembered anymore. Twice, in two successive chapters of Isaiah, God gives this promise to those whom He has redeemed.

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins (Is. 43:25).

I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins (Is. 44:22).

In both these passages there is mention both of sins and of transgressions. “Sins” are wrong acts that are committed without any necessary reference to a known law; “transgressions” are wrong acts committed in open disobedience of a known law. Sins are therefore compared to “a cloud,” but transgressions to “a thick cloud.” That is to say, transgressions are the darker of the two. However, God’s grace and power are more than sufficient to blot out both.

In a previous session we stated that there is a complete record preserved in heaven of the life that every human soul leads here on earth. We compared the type of “book” on which this record is made to electromagnetic tape. The parallel extends not only to the way in which the record is made but also to the way in which it may be erased.

If there is any error made on tape, it may be completely erased in a few moments by running the recording head past that particular stretch of tape a second time.

There is even an instrument called a bulk eraser which can completely erase in a few seconds of the whole recorded contents of an entire tape. A completely clean tape is produced, on which a new message may be recorded without any trace remaining of the previous message.

So it is with the heavenly record of the sinner’s life. When a sinner comes for the first time in repentance and faith to Jesus, God applies His heavenly “bulk eraser.” The whole record of the sinner’s former sins is thereby instantly and completely erased, and a clean “tape” is made available, upon which a new life of faith and righteousness may be recorded. If at any time thereafter the believer should fall again into sin, he needs only to repent and confess his sin. God erases that particular section of the record, and once again the tape is clean.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).

These passages teach that if a believer in Jesus sins and thereafter repents and confesses his sin, the record of his sin is erased, and he himself is cleansed from all unrighteousness.

This is why the true believer in Jesus need not fear final condemnation. God’s provision both to cleanse the sinner himself and to erase the record of his sins means that there will be no record of sin remaining upon which any just judgement of condemnation could be based.

If, then, there is no possibility of final condemnation for the true believer, for what purpose will professing Christian’s be judged?

The answer is that the judgement of professing Christian’s will be to assess their rewards. The true believer will be judged not in respect of righteousness but in respect of service rendered to Jesus.

The reason why the believer will not be judged in respect of righteousness is simple and logical: The righteousness of the true believer is no longer his own but the righteousness of Jesus Himself, imputed to him by God on the basis of his faith.

[Jesus] became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).

None other than Jesus Himself has become our righteousness from God.

For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

Through this exchange we have become the righteousness of God in Jesus. Obviously, where the believer receives salvation on this basis, it would be utterly illogical for God to judge, or even to call into question, His own righteousness imparted to the believer.

We conclude, therefore, that the judgement of professing Christian’s will deal not with their righteousness but with their service rendered to Jesus. The purpose of the judgement will not be to decide upon either acquittal or condemnation but rather to assess the reward due to each believer for his service to Jesus while on earth.

Eternal Judgement

Every one of Your righteous judgements endures forever. Psalm 119:160

God the Judge of All

Throughout this study we have been systematically examining the six foundation doctrines of Jesus which are listed in Hebrews 6:1-2.

1. Repentance from dead works

2. Faith toward God

3. The doctrine of baptisms

4. Laying on of hands

5. Resurrection of the dead

6. Eternal judgement

We will now examine the sixth and last of these foundation doctrines: eternal judgement.

In this session we shall consider the following two aspects of divine judgement:

1. the general revelation of Scripture concerning God as the Judge of all;

1. the main principles according to which God’s judgement is administered.

Judgement Tempered by Mercy

For an introduction to the teaching of the Bible concerning God as the Judge, we turn to Hebrews.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel (12:22-24).

These three verses present a picture of God in His heavenly dwelling and of the saints and the redeemed who dwell with Him there. The key to the proper analysis of these verses is the number three.

First of all, the verses fall naturally into three main parts:

1) a description of God’s dwelling place,

2) an enumeration of those who dwell there with God and

3) a presentation of God Himself.

Then each of these three main parts falls naturally into a further threefold subdivision.

The description of God’s dwelling is threefold:

1. 1. “Mount Zion,”
  2. “the city of the living God” and
  3. “the heavenly Jerusalem.”

The enumeration of those who dwell there is likewise threefold:

“an innumerable company of angels,”

“the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven” and

“the spirits of just men made perfect.” Concerning these three groups, we may offer the following brief explanation.

The “angels” here referred to are those who kept their proper domain, joining neither in Satan’s first rebellion nor in the universal wickedness of both men and angels in the period before the flood. The “church of the firstborn” represents the saints of the new covenant, who, through the experience of the new birth, have their names registered in heaven and thus have become a first-fruits of God’s new creation in Jesus. The “spirits of just men made perfect” represent the saints of previous ages, who, through a lifetime’s walk of faith, were gradually made perfect.

Finally, the presentation of God Himself is likewise threefold:

“God the Judge of all,”

“Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant” and

“the blood of sprinkling [that is, the sprinkled blood of Jesus], that speaks better things than that of Abel.”

With the eye of faith and the light of Scripture, let us survey this heavenly scene. In the centre of it all we observe one solemn, majestic and awe-inspiring figure – “God the Judge of all.” Here God is revealed to us in His sovereign, eternal authority as Judge – Judge of all, Judge of heaven and earth, Judge of angels and Judge of men.

However, if God were revealed only as Judge, there would be no place here for sinful men – neither for the perfected spirits of the Old Testament nor for the reborn saints of the New. In mercy, therefore, the revelation of God’s Word leads us on from the figure of God the Judge to the figure of Jesus the Mediator – the only One who can come between a righteous, holy God and lost, sinful men and reconcile the one to the other. The picture is completed by the revelation of the blood of Jesus, being both the means and the price by which reconciliation has been achieved.

In this picture the blood of Jesus is contrasted with the blood of Abel. There are three main points of contrast.

1. The blood of Abel was shed without his own will or consent, spilled suddenly by a murderer’s blow without warning; the blood of Jesus was freely given of His own consent as the price of man’s

redemption.

2. The blood of Abel was sprinkled upon the earth; the blood of Jesus was sprinkled before the mercy seat in heaven.

3. The blood of Abel cried out to God for vengeance upon his murderer; the blood of Jesus pleads for mercy and forgiveness for the sinner.

We see, therefore, that this revelation of God as Judge of all is tempered by the revelation of God’s mercy and grace manifested in the mediatorial office and the shed blood of Jesus. This revelation of God as a God of judgement tempered by grace and mercy is in harmony with the total revelation of Scripture upon this theme.

The entire Bible reveals that, by sovereign, eternal right, the office of judge belongs to God Himself. This theme runs through the whole of the Old Testament. For instance, Abraham said to the Lord:

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25).

Other Old Testament sources say:

May the Lord, the Judge, render judgement this day (Judg. 11:27).

Surely He [God] is God who judges in the earth (Ps. 58:11).

The psalmist says to God:

Rise up, O Judge of the earth (Ps. 94:2).

(For the Lord is our Judge . . . ) (Is. 33:22).

However, the truest and most perfect expression of God’s eternal nature is not in judgement but in grace, not in wrath but in mercy. This truth is illustrated in the description of God’s wrath and impending judgement given in Isaiah 28:21.

The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon –

to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task (NIV, italics added).

Here the prophet Isaiah pictures the Lord rising up to administer wrath and judgement upon His adversaries. However, he describes this act as strange and alien.

The administration of wrath and judgement is alien to God’s nature. It is not something He naturally desires to do. It is rather the inevitable response of God to the unthankful and unholy behaviour of man. It is the warped and twisted character and conduct of man, the creature, which calls forth this strange manifestation of wrath and judgement from God, the Creator.

As we move on from the Old Testament into the New, we enter into a fuller revelation of the motives and methods of God’s judgement. Renewed emphasis is laid upon the fact that wrath and judgement are alien to the abiding nature and purpose of God.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

These scriptures – and many others like them – reveal that God delights to offer mercy and salvation but that He is reluctant to administer wrath and judgement. However, the New Testament revelation takes us still further along this line of truth. The reluctance of God to administer judgement finds expression also in the way in which God’s judgement will ultimately be carried out.

The Father – The Son – The Word

In the first instance and by sovereign eternal right, judgement belongs to God the Father. The apostle Peter speaks of “the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work” (1 Pet. 1:17).

Here judgement of all men is declared to be the office of God the Father. However, in John 5 Jesus reveals that the Father has chosen in His sovereign wisdom to commit all judgement to the Son.

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgement to the Son, that all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent Him (John 5:22-23).

For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgement also, because He is the Son of Man (John 5:26-27).

Here it is explicitly stated that the office of judgement has been transferred from the Father to the Son. Two reasons are given for this:

because with the office of judge goes also the honour due to the judge, and in this way all men will be obliged to show the same honour toward God the Son as they would toward God the Father;

because Jesus is also the Son of man as well as the Son of God. That is, He partakes of the human as well as of the divine nature, and thus in His judgement He is able to make allowance, from His own experience, for all the infirmities and temptations of human flesh.

So gracious and merciful, however, is the divine nature in the Son, as in the Father, that Jesus, too, is unwilling to administer judgement. For this reason He has, in His own turn, transferred the final authority of judgement from His own Person to the Word of God. Jesus says:

And if anyone 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 who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day (John 12:47-48).

The final authority of all judgement is vested in the Word of God. This is the impartial, unchanging standard to which all men must one day answer.

The same revelation concerning God’s Word is given in the Old Testament, for David says to God:

The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgements endures forever (Ps. 119:160).

This is to say, all the standards and principles of God’s judgement are contained within His Word; like that very Word, of which they are part, these standards and principles of judgement endure unchanged forever.

Four Principles of Judgement by the Word

What, then, are the principles of divine judgement revealed in God’s Word? Paul unfolds four main principles which may be summarized as follows.

The First Principal, Paul declares that God’s judgement is according to truth.

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgement of God is according to truth against those who practice such things (Rom. 2:1-2).

Paul is here speaking primarily to religious people who judge other people by one standard and themselves by another standard. Paul says that this is not the way of God’s judgement. God’s judgement is according to truth. If we see and acknowledge the truth of God’s judgement as applied to others, we must apply precisely the same truth to ourselves and our own lives. God’s standard does not vary. It is always the truth – the revealed truth of God’s Word.

Jesus Himself says to the Father, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). This revealed standard of God’s truth applies just as much to the one who judges as to the one who is judged.

The Second Principal, God’s judgement is according to “deeds”: “[God] will render to each one according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6).

This principle of divine judgement is repeated many times over in Scripture.

The Father . . . judges according to each one’s work (1 Pet. 1:17, italics added).

Again, in the account of the final judgement in Revelation 20:12, we read that:

Books were opened . . . And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

The use of the word books in this connection is interesting and illuminating. In modern English the word book normally denotes a number of paper pages bound together at one edge. However, in New Testament times a book normally took the form of a long sheet of parchment, leather or other material which was kept rolled up and was unrolled in order to be read. A scroll of this kind, sealed with seven successive seals, actually plays a prominent part in the imagery of the book of Revelation.

Among the various means developed by modern technology for recording and transmitting information, there is one which resembles an ancient scroll far more closely than a modern book does, and that is electromagnetic recording tape. This is kept rolled up in precisely the same manner as an ancient scroll but must be unrolled in order to transmit the information recorded on it.

With this picture of an electromagnetic tape in mind, it becomes easy for us to realize that there is an individual record kept in heaven of the entire life of every human being. Just as a man’s words may be recorded and preserved on earth by means of electromagnetic tape, so on a special “book” or scroll in heaven God preserves a complete and flawless record of the entire life of every person. According to this record of his deeds preserved upon this heavenly scroll, each person will one day be judged.

However, we must be careful not to limit the meaning of the word deeds merely to external actions such as can be observed by other human beings. The whole Bible makes it plain that God, in His judgement of man, takes into account not merely external actions but also the deepest and most secret thoughts, impulses and motives of the heart.

. . . the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel (Rom. 2:16).

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts; and then each one’s praise will come from God (1 Cor. 4:5, italics added).

This same truth is actually contained in the revelation that judgement will be by the Word of God.

For the word of God is living . . . piercing even to the division of soul and spirit . . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:12-13, italics added).

We see, therefore, that God’s record of men’s deeds covers not merely their external, observable actions but also their thoughts and intents, the deepest motives and impulses of their minds and hearts. It is in this all-embracing sense that God’s judgement of men will be according to their deeds.

The third principle of God’s judgement is stated in Romans 2:11: “For there is no partiality with God.”

In place of “partiality” the 1611 King James Version uses the phrase “respect of persons [literally, faces].” This expression implies that God is not influenced in His judgement by a person’s external characteristics. These do not necessarily give a correct indication of that person’s real character and conduct.

Men are often influenced in forming their judgements by such external things as race, religion, profession, social position, physical appearance, wealth, education and so on. However, God’s judgement is not influenced or diverted by any of these things.

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

Not only is God Himself never moved by respect of persons; He also strictly charges all those who exercise judgement in human affairs never to yield to this influence. There can scarcely be any principle of Scripture which is stated more often than this. It is mentioned nine times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New Testament – a total of sixteen times in all.

The fourth principle of God’s judgement is: “according to light.” This is implied in Romans.

For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (2:12).

Applied generally, this means that each person will be judged according to the measure of moral light and understanding made available to him. Those who have had the full knowledge of God’s moral standards revealed to them through the law of Moses will be judged by that law. But those who did not have the fuller revelation of the law of Moses will not be judged by that law, but only in accordance with the general revelation of God granted to the human race as a whole through the wonders of creation.

For since the creation of the world His [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Rom. 1:20).

Paul here states that a general revelation of God’s nature, that is, His eternal power and Godhead, is given through creation to all men everywhere – irrespective of race or religion – who attain to normal understanding.

This, therefore, is the basic standard by which all men will be judged. However, those who receive an additional and special revelation through God’s Word will be judged by the higher standard of moral knowledge thus granted to them. Therefore, judgement is according to light – according to the measure of moral knowledge granted to each person.

This same principle of judgement according to light is contained in the words of Jesus to the people of His own day.

Then He began to upbraid the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgement than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement than for you” (Matt. 11:20-24).

Jesus here shows that the sinful cities of the ancient world – Tyre, Sidon and Sodom – will be judged according to the measure of moral knowledge available to them in their day. On the other hand, the cities of His own day – Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum – will be judged according to the much greater measure of knowledge granted to them through His personal presence and ministry. For this reason, the judgement of these latter cities will be much more severe than the judgement of the former.

Let us bring this principle down to our own day. We who are alive today will be judged by the measure of moral light and knowledge available to our generation. For those of us who live in countries with a long history of Christianity, such as America or Great Britain, there is probably a greater measure of moral knowledge more easily available than there has ever been to any previous generation in earth’s history. For this reason, the standards by which we shall be judged will be the highest of all. The following words of Jesus apply to us in our generation.

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:48).

Such, then, are the four main principles of judgement according to the Word of God.

1. According to truth.

2. According to deeds.

3. Without partiality (or respect of persons).

4. According to the light available to those being judged.

With What Body?

In the last three sessions we have considered in succession the three main phases of the resurrection as stated by the apostle Paul (see 1 Cor. 15:23-24).

1. “Jesus the firstfruits” – the resurrection of Jesus Himself, together with those of the Old Testament saints who were resurrected with Him.

2. “Those who are Jesus’s at His coming” – all believers who have died during the preceding ages and who will be resurrected at Jesus’s second coming, prior to the establishment of His millennial kingdom.

3. “The end”–the final resurrection of all the remaining dead at the close of the millennium.

We shall devote most of this final chapter to considering what the Scripture reveals about the nature of the body with which Christian’s believers will be resurrected.

In our earlier studies on this subject we have already pointed out that there is direct continuity between the body that dies and is buried and the body that is later resurrected. The basic material of the body that is to be resurrected is the same as that of the body that is buried. That is to say, resurrection is the raising up of the same body that was buried, and not the creation of a completely new body.

However, once this fact is established, we must also add that, in the case of the Christian’s believer, the body that is resurrected undergoes certain definite and tremendous changes.

Analogy of Grain

This whole question is raised and discussed by Paul.

But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain – perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body (1 Cor. 15:35-38).

Here Paul uses the analogy of a grain of wheat planted in the ground to illustrate the relationship between the body that is buried and the body that is raised up in resurrection. Out of this analogy there emerge three facts which may be applied to the resurrection of the body.

1. There is direct continuity between the seed that is planted in the ground and the plant that later grows up out of the ground from that seed. The basic material of the original seed is still contained in the plant that grows up out of it.

2. The plant that grows up out of the original seed undergoes, in that process, certain definite and obvi ous changes. The outward form and appearance of the new plant is different from that of the original seed.

3. The nature of the original seed determines the nature of the plant that grows up out of it. Each kind of seed can produce only the kind of plant that is appropriate to it. A wheat seed can produce only a stalk of wheat; a barley seed can produce only a stalk of barley.

Let us now apply these three facts taken from the analogy of a seed to the nature of the body that is to be resurrected.

1. There is direct continuity between the body that is buried and the body that is resurrected.

2. The body that is resurrected undergoes, in that process, certain definite and obvious changes. The outward form and appearance of the new, resurrected body are different from those of the original body that was buried.

3. The nature of the body that is buried determines the nature of the body that is resurrected. There will be a direct logical and causal connection between the condition of the believer in his present earthly existence and the nature of his resurrected body.

Paul gives further details about the nature of the changes that the believer’s body will undergo at resurrection.

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:39-44).

To complete this picture, we should add Paul’s statement in verse 53.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

This analysis given here by Paul of the nature of the changes that the believer’s body will undergo at resurrection may be expressed in the form of a series of statements.

1. Paul points out that, even among the bodies of creatures with which we are familiar in the present natural order, there are differences of nature and constitution. He mentions the following main classes: men, animals, fishes and birds. This is in line with the conclusions of modern science that there is no discernible difference in the chemical makeup of the blood of different racial groups within the human family, but that there is a difference between the chemical makeup of the blood of human beings and that of other orders of the animal kingdom.

2. Paul points out that, over and above all bodies of the order with which we are familiar here on earth, there is another and higher order of bodies, which he calls the “celestial” or “heavenly” order. Once again, this is in line with recent scientific discoveries. Science has now succeeded in putting men into space. But in order to keep them alive, it has to confine them in a capsule and surround them with the atmosphere and conditions of earth. To be truly at home any distance from the surface of the earth, man must be equipped with a body of an altogether different order from his present one. But for this he must depend upon God; he cannot do it for himself.

3. Paul points out that, among the various heavenly bodies which we can see – that is, the sun, the moon and the stars – there are differences of nature and of brightness. The sun produces its own light; the moon merely reflects the light of the sun. Among the stars there are many different orders of brightness. Paul states that the same will be true of the bodies of believers when they are resurrected from the dead. There will be many different orders of glory among them.

This is foretold in the prophecy of the resurrection given in Daniel 12:2-3.

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,

Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament,

And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

Here Daniel foretells the differences in rewards and in glory among the resurrected saints. Those who have been most faithful and diligent in making known God’s truth to others will shine the most brightly.

This picture of the saints resurrected with glorious bodies like those of the stars is also the fulfillment of

God’s promise to Abraham.

There He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be” (Gen. 15:5).

Included by God among Abraham’s seed are all those who believe and obey the word of God’s promise just as Abraham did – those who accept by faith in their hearts the divine seed of God’s Word. In fact, it is this incorruptible seed of God’s Word, received by faith in the heart of each believer, that makes possible his resurrection among the righteous.

In the day of the final fulfillment of God’s promise, at the resurrection, all the believers then raised up on the basis of their faith in God’s Word will be like the stars that God showed to Abraham – as numerous, as glorious and as diverse from each other in their glory.

Five Distinctive Changes

In his analysis of the nature of the believer’s resurrection body, Paul closes by listing a series of specific changes that will take place.

1. The present body is corruptible, subject to corruption – to sickness, decay and old age. The new body will be incorruptible – free from all these evils.

2. The present body is mortal – subject to death. The new body will be immortal – incapable of death.

3. The present body is a body of dishonour.

In Philippians 3:21 it is called “our lowly body.” But a more literal translation of this would be “the body of our humiliation.” Man’s present body is the outcome of his sin and disobedience to God. It is a continual source of humiliation – a continual reminder of the fall and of the resultant physical frailty and insufficiency. No matter how great man’s achievements may be in the realms of art or science, he is continually humbled and brought low by the physical needs and limitations of his body. However, the new resurrection body will be a body of beauty and glory, free from all of man’s present limitations.

4. The present body is committed to the grave in weakness. The act of burial is the final acknowledgement of man’s debt to death; it is the supreme confession of man’s weakness. But the new body will be raised up from the grave by the power of almighty God, and the resurrection will thus be a testimony of God’s omnipotence, swallowing up the power of death and the grave.

5. The present body is a natural body – literally, a “soulish” body. (The Greek word translated natural is psuchikos, directly derived from psuche, the word for “soul.” It is a pity that English does not use the corresponding adjective, soulish.)

According to God’s original pattern in creation, man was to be a triune being consisting of spirit, soul and body. Of these three elements, man’s spirit was capable of direct communication and fellowship with God and was intended to control the lower elements of man’s nature – the soul and the body. However, as a result of man’s yielding to temptation at the fall, these lower elements of his nature – the soul and the body – gained control. This produced far-reaching changes both in man’s inner personality and in his physical body. His body became “soulish.” Henceforth, its organs and functions were given over to the expression and satisfaction of the lower desires of his soul but were incapable of fully expressing the higher aspirations of his spirit.

In some sense this “soulish” body is a prison – a place of confinement and restriction for man’s spirit. However, the new resurrection body will be “spiritual.” It will be perfectly adapted to express and fulfil the highest aspirations of man’s spirit. Clothed in this new body, the spirit will once again be the controlling element, and the whole personality of the resurrected believer will function in harmony and perfection under the spirit’s control.

Paul sums up the differences between the old and the new body by contrasting the body of Adam with that of Jesus and by saying that the resurrected body of the believer will be similar to the Lord’s.

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man (1 Cor. 15:47-49).

That is to say, man’s present body is similar, in its earthly nature, to the body of the first created man, Adam, from whom all other men are descended. But the resurrection body of the believer will be similar to that of Jesus, who, through the new creation, has become the head of a new race in which are included all those redeemed through faith in Him from sin and its consequences.

Paul gives a similar picture of the believer’s resurrection body.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Jesus, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Phil. 3:20-21).

Translated more literally, this last verse states that Jesus is able to transform the body of our humiliation so that it becomes similar in form to the body of His glory.

In 1 John 3:2 we glimpse a similar picture of the transformation of the believer at the return of Jesus.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Even those professing Christian’s who are alive at Jesus’s return and who therefore will not need to be resurrected will at that time undergo a similar instantaneous and miraculous change in their bodies.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

Where Paul says, “We shall not all sleep,” he means, “We shall not all die.” Then he goes on to say, “But we shall all be changed.” In other words, all true believers, whether resurrected or raptured alive, will undergo the same instantaneous and miraculous change in their bodies.

Concerning the nature of Jesus’s own body after His resurrection, the Gospels give us certain interesting indications. It would appear that He was no longer subject to those limitations of time and space with which we are familiar in our present earthly body. He could appear or disappear at will; He could pass through locked doors; He could appear in different forms in different places. He could also ascend to heaven and descend again to earth. In these and in other respects which are perhaps not yet revealed, the body of the redeemed believer after resurrection or rapture will be like that of his Lord.

So far we have spoken only about the resurrection body of the redeemed believer. What about the unrighteous? those who are not redeemed? those who die in their sins?

The Scripture reveals clearly that these, too, in their own order, will be resurrected for judgement and for punishment. With what kind of bodies will they be clothed at their resurrection?

To this question no clear answer or even indication is found in the Bible. We must therefore be content to leave it unanswered.

The Unique Importance of the Resurrection

There are three main reasons why the doctrine of the resurrection occupies a special, central place in the Christian’s faith.

The first reason is that the resurrection is God’s own vindication of Jesus Jesus.

[Jesus was] declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:4).

Previously, Jesus had been brought before two human courts – first the religious court of the Jewish council, and then the secular court of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Both these courts had rejected Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God and had condemned Him to death. Furthermore, both these courts had united in seeking to prevent any breaking open of the grave of Jesus. To this end, the Jewish council had provided their special seal, and the Roman governor had provided an armed guard of soldiers.

However, on the third day God intervened. The seal was broken, the armed guard was paralysed, and Jesus came forth from the tomb. By this act God reversed the decisions of the Jewish council and the Roman governor, and He publicly vindicated the claim of Jesus to be the sinless Son of God.

The second main reason for the importance of the resurrection is that it is the sure seal upon God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation to every repentant sinner who will put his faith in Jesus.

[Jesus was] delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification (Rom. 4:25).

This shows that the sinner’s justification is dependent upon Jesus being raised again from the dead. Had Jesus remained on the cross or in the tomb, God’s promise to the sinner of salvation and eternal life could never have been fulfilled. It is only the risen Jesus, received and confessed by faith, who brings to the sinner pardon, peace, eternal life and victory over sin.

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus [or Jesus as Lord] and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom. 10:9).

Salvation is dependent upon two things: 1) openly confessing Jesus as Lord; 2) believing in the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Thus, saving faith includes faith in the resurrection. There can be no salvation for those who do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

Logic and intellectual honesty permit no other conclusion. If Jesus is not risen from the dead, then He has no power to pardon or to save the sinner. But if He is risen, as the Scripture states, then this is logical proof of His power to pardon and to save.

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:25).

Jesus’s resurrection is an absolute, logical necessity as a basis of God’s offer of salvation.

And if Jesus is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain (1 Cor. 15:14).

And if Jesus is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! (1 Cor. 15:17).

The condition of contemporary Jesusendom abundantly confirms these plain statements of Scripture. Those theologians who reject the personal, physical resurrection of Jesus may moralize and theorize as much as they please, but one thing they never come to know in personal experience is the peace and joy of sins forgiven.

Finally, the third reason for the importance of the resurrection is that it constitutes the culmination of all our hopes as professing Christian’s and the supreme goal of our life of faith here on earth.

Paul says that the resurrection is the supreme goal and consummation of all his earthly endeavours. Speaking of the motivating purpose of his life as a Christian’s, he says:

That I may know Him [Jesus] and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Jesus Jesus has also laid hold of me (Phil. 3:10-12).

Notice particularly the two phrases “that I may know . . . the power of His resurrection” and “if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Paul did not intend to let anything in this world prevent him from attaining to the consummation of all his beliefs and labors – the resurrection of the dead. In this respect, the attitude of every Christian’s believer should be the same as that of Paul.

If there is no resurrection, then the Christian’s faith and the Christian’s life are a pathetic deception.

If in this life only we have hope in Jesus, we are of all men the most pitiable (1 Cor. 15:19).

On the other hand, if we really believe in the resurrection, our life’s aim and purpose will be like Paul’s: to attain it..

Then Comes the End

We shall now consider the final, closing phase of the resurrection. Paul indicates that this will be pre

ceded by the resurrection of true believers – “those who are Jesus’s at His coming” – and will coincide with the consummation of Jesus’s millennial kingdom.

But each one in his own order: Jesus the first-fruits, afterward those who are Jesus’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death (1 Cor. 15:23-26).

At the Close of the Millennium

In verse 24 Paul moves on to the final phase of the resurrection. This he refers to in the phrase “Then comes the end.” He goes on to indicate the other main events that will be associated with this final phase of the resurrection.

At this time Jesus will have completed His earthly reign of one thousand years, by the end of which God the Father will have brought all Jesus’s enemies into subjection to Him. The last of these enemies will be death.

Thereafter, Jesus the Son will in turn offer up His kingdom to God the Father. In accordance with His position as the Son, He will voluntarily place Himself and His kingdom in subjection to His Father.

This closing event of Jesus’s earthly reign is described by Paul two verses later.

Now when all things are made subject to Him [Jesus], then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28).

As we study this prophetic picture of the end, we notice the perfect harmony that exists within the Godhead between the Father and the Son. First God the Father will, during the millennium, establish Jesus the Son as His appointed representative and ruler over all things. By the close of this period the Father will have brought all Jesus’s enemies into subjection to Him – the last enemy being death. Thereafter Jesus the Son will in turn offer up in subjection to the authority of the Father both Himself and all that the Father has made subject to Him. In this way, Paul says, God the Father, through Jesus, will be “all in all.”

This offering up of the completed kingdom by Jesus to the Father represents the climax and culmination of God’s plan for all the ages. Paul also describes this glorious culmination of God’s purpose.

[God has] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation [or administration] of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Jesus, both which are in heaven and which are on earth (Eph. 1:9-10).

This gathering together of all things in Jesus by God the Father, Paul says, will usher in “the administration of the fullness of the times” – that is, the period which will mark the culmination and consummation of God’s plan that has been gradually maturing throughout all preceding ages.

If we now turn to Revelation 20 we shall see just how the final resurrection of all the remaining dead will be related to the other parts of God’s plan for the consummation of Jesus’s millennial reign.

John describes Satan’s last attempt to oppose the authority of God and of Jesus and to stir up rebellion against it. This occurs at the end of the millennium.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev. 20:7-10).

John uses the phrases “the camp of the saints” and “the beloved city” to describe the city of Jerusalem and the territory surrounding that. During the millennium Jerusalem will be the earthly centre of Jesus’s administration and rule over the nations of the earth.

During this period Satan will be kept confined as a prisoner in the bottomless pit, but at its close he will be allowed to go free just long enough to stir up this final rebellion among the Gentile nations, which will culminate in an attempt to attack Jerusalem.

God will intervene, however, with fire from heaven. The rebellion will be totally defeated. And Satan himself will be cast into the lake of eternal fire, there to be tormented forever together with the beast (the AntiJesus) and the false prophet. Both of these will already have been cast into the lake of fire at the time of Jesus’s return to earth and of the commencement of the millennium.

The Final Resurrection

After this John describes the final resurrection of all the remaining dead.

In this account we notice that resurrection comes first, then judgement. This same principle is observed at every stage of resurrection. Since it is in their bodies that men have committed acts of good or evil, it is in their bodies also that they must appear before God to hear His judgement upon those acts.

We have already seen that all those who have trusted Jesus for salvation will have been resurrected prior to the millennium. This will include both the saints of the old covenant and the saints of the new covenant. It would seem, therefore, that the majority of those to be resurrected at the close of the millennium will be people who have died in sin and unbelief.

In this connection it is significant that John refers to those resurrected at the close of the millennium as “the dead.” He says, “I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God.” This is different from the language which he uses to describe the resurrection of the righteous dead at the beginning of the millennium. Concerning these he says, “And they lived and reigned with Jesus for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4).

Thus, concerning the resurrected righteous, John says not only that they were resurrected, but also that “they lived” – they were in the fullest and truest sense alive. On the other hand, those whom John saw resurrected at the close of the millennium are still “the dead.” Although resurrected from the grave in their bodies, they are still spiritually dead – dead in trespasses and sins, alienated and cut off from the presence and fellowship of God. They are brought before God for the last time, only to hear His final sentence of condemnation upon them. Thereafter their destiny is the lake of fire, “the second death,” the place of final, eternal banishment from God’s presence, the place which offers henceforth no hope either of change or of return.

Among all these, however, Scripture indicates that there will be at least two categories of people who will come forth to the resurrection of life and not of condemnation.

One such category includes people such as the queen of the South (Sheba) and the men of Nineveh referred to by Jesus.

The queen of the South will rise up in the judgement with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here (Luke 11:31-32).

In each of these examples it is clear that the men of this generation (who rejected the mercy offered them through Jesus) will rise up (be resurrected) for the judgement of condemnation. Together with them, however, two groups will be resurrected who will receive mercy at the judgement: the queen of the South and the men of Nineveh.

Unlike the saints of the old covenant, these two groups were not granted a revelation of Jesus’s atoning sacrifice – foreshadowed in type and in prophecy – in which they could trust for salvation. Consequently they will not be included in the resurrection of those who are Jesus’s at His coming. They did, however, respond in faith to the limited measure of light that came to them. At the close of the millennium, therefore, they will be delivered from condemnation and enter into the resurrection of life.

Will there be others in the same category as the queen of the South and the men of Nineveh? If so, who? And how many? The answers to these questions can come only from the omniscience of God Himself. One thing, however, is certain: Those who have heard and rejected the gospel of Jesus have forever shut themselves off from the mercy of God.

A second category of people who will be delivered from condemnation at the final resurrection will be the righteous who have died during Jesus’s millennial reign on earth.

Concerning this millennial period, we find the following prophetic account in Isaiah.

No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,

Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;

For the child shall die one hundred years old,

But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed (65:20).

The picture here given by Isaiah of life on earth during the millennium indicates that though the span of human life will be greatly extended, nevertheless both the righteous and the sinner will still be subject to death. From this we may conclude that the righteous who die during the millennium will be resurrected at its close but will not be subject to God’s judgement upon the unrighteous who are to be resurrected at the same time.

If we now turn again to Revelation 20 we notice the completeness and the finality of the resurrection depicted by John.

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works (Rev. 20:13).

To this final resurrection of the remaining dead there are no exceptions. It includes “each one.” None is omitted. Every realm of God’s created universe is called upon by divine authority to give up the dead which are in it. The three words which John uses in this connection are “the sea,” “Death” and “Hades.”

The Greek word Hades corresponds to the Hebrew word Sheol used in the Old Testament. Hades or Sheol is a place of temporary confinement for departed spirits, prior to their final resurrection and judgement. After final resurrection and judgement, all the unrighteous are consigned to the lake of fire. The usual Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for this lake of fire is not Sheol but Gehenna.

There is therefore a clear distinction between Sheol, or Hades, and Gehenna, or the lake of fire. Sheol is a place of temporary confinement to which are consigned the spirits, but not the bodies, of the departed. Gehenna is a place of final, unending punishment to which is consigned, after resurrection, the total personality of every unrighteous person – spirit, soul and body together.

This distinction between Sheol and Gehenna is further brought out by the statement of John in Revelation 20:14:

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.

Death and Hades Are Persons

Just what is the true nature of Death and Hades as revealed in the New Testament? John’s famous vision of the four horsemen sheds light on this question. Concerning the fourth horseman, John says:

And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him (Rev. 6:8).

It is obvious from this account that both Death and Hades were revealed to John as being persons. Only a person could sit on a horse, and only another person could follow along with this first one. This passage therefore casts light on the nature of Death and Hades as revealed in the Scriptures.

In one sense death is a state or condition. It is the cessation of life, the experience which results in the separation of the spirit from the body. However, Death is also a person. Death is the dark angel, the minister of Satan who claims the spirit of every unrighteous person that is separated from his body when he dies.

A similar truth applies also to Hades. In one sense Hades is a place of confinement for departed spirits. In another sense, however, Hades is a person. Hades, like Death, is a dark angel, a minister of Satan, following close upon the heels of Death. Hades takes charge of the spirits of the unrighteous which have been claimed by Death and conducts them to the realm of departed spirits from which he receives his name – that is, Hades.

Thus Death and Hades are both dark angels, ministers of Satan’s infernal kingdom. But the difference between them is this: Death first claims the departing spirits of all who die in unrighteousness; Hades receives them from Death and conducts them to their appointed place of imprisonment. For this reason John saw them moving among men in that order: first Death, claiming the departing spirits, then Hades, taking them to their prison in the lower world.

This scene from Revelation casts light on the words of Jesus.

Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death (John 8:51).

Jesus does not say here that the believer will not experience physical death. He says that the believer will not “see death.” He is not referring to the physical condition of death which results from the separation of the spirit from the body. When He speaks of “seeing death,” He is referring to the person of the dark angel whose name is Death, and to the other dark angel, his companion, whose name is Hades.

Jesus means that the spirit of the true believer, on departing from the body, will never come under the dominion of these two dark angels, Death and Hades. Rather, like the poor beggar Lazarus, the departing spirit of the true believer will be met by God’s angels – the angels of light – and by them be escorted to Paradise.

With this in mind, too, we can understand Paul’s statement that “the last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26); and also John’s statement that “then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire”
(Rev. 20:14).

In each of these passages the primary reference is to Death and Hades as persons, as dark angels, ministers of Satan and enemies of God and the human race. The last of all God’s enemies to receive the judgement due him will be Death. Together with Hades he will be cast into the lake of fire, there to join their master, Satan, and all the rest of Satan’s servants and followers both angelic and human.

By this final act of judgement, the last of God’s enemies will forever have been banished from His presence.

Those Who Are Jesus’s at His Coming

In the last session we considered the first phase of the resurrection, called by Paul “Jesus the first-fruits.” We saw how exactly and completely the account of Jesus’s resurrection given in the New Testament fulfilled the prophetic typology of the ordinance of the first-fruits as ordained for Israel in the Old Testament.

We shall now go on to consider the second main phase of the resurrection – that which Paul refers to as “those who are Jesus’s at His coming” (1 Cor. 15:23).

Marks of True Believers

Notice carefully the exact phrases which Paul uses concerning this second phase of the resurrection.

First, the Greek word here translated “coming” is parousia. This is the word mainly used throughout the New Testament to denote that aspect of Jesus’s second coming which primarily concerns the church – that is, Jesus’s coming as the Bridegroom to take His bride, the church, to Himself.

Second, we must notice how carefully Paul specifies those who will take part in this second phase of the resurrection. He says, “Those who are Jesus’s.” This phrase indicates possession. It is equivalent to saying “those who belong to Jesus.” This certainly does not include all those who make a profession of faith in Jesus. It covers only those who have so fully and unreservedly yielded themselves to Jesus that they are entirely His. They are no longer their own; they belong to Jesus.

Paul describes a double “seal” that marks those who fulfill this requirement.

Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Jesus depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19).

In the last resort, only the Lord Himself knows exactly who are those that belong to Him. In outward conduct, however, all such believers have one feature in common: They “depart from iniquity.” Any who lack this second, outward seal are not among those whom the Lord acknowledges as His.

In Galatians Paul gives a further mark by which such people are distinguished.

And those who are Jesus’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (5:24).

Professing Christian’s who lead careless, carnal, self-indulgent lives will not be numbered among those whom Jesus will receive to Himself.

Jesus is coming, it is true, “like a thief,” but He certainly is not coming to steal. He will take to Himself only those who are already His own.

With this warning in mind, let us consider what will take place at this second main phase of the resurrection. Since Paul states that it will take place “at Jesus’s coming,” it is clear that this second phase is directly associated with the return of Jesus.

The return of Jesus is one of the main themes of biblical prophecy. Someone has estimated that for every promise in the Bible concerning the first coming of Jesus, there are at least five promises concerning His second coming. This shows how great a part the theme of the second coming of Jesus plays in the total revelation of Scripture. For this reason it is outside the scope of our present studies to discuss in detail every question related to Jesus’s second coming.

It is, however, helpful to point out that, in the eternal counsel of God, the second coming of Jesus is ordained to accomplish a number of different purposes. These purposes are in some sense distinct from each other, yet all are interrelated in God’s overall plan. Each of these purposes constitutes one main aspect of Jesus’s second coming, one main part of the total event as foretold in Scripture.

Five Purposes of Jesus’s Second Coming

Briefly, we may mention the five main purposes for which Jesus will come again.

1. Jesus will come for the church. He will come again as the Bridegroom to receive to Himself all true believers as His bride. They will be united with Jesus, either by resurrection or by instantaneous change in their bodies while still alive. Jesus promised His disciples:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:3).

2. Jesus will come for the national salvation of Israel. The national remnant of Israel that has survived the fires of the great tribulation will acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and thus be reconciled to God and restored to His favour and blessing. This is foretold in the promise of God through Isaiah, quoted by Paul.

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,

And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

For this is My covenant with them,

When I take away their sins” (Rom. 11:26-27).

3. Jesus will come for the overthrow of AntiJesus and of Satan himself.

And then the lawless one [the AntiJesus] will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming [parousia]
(2 Thess. 2:8).

4. Jesus will come for the judgement of the Gentile nations. He Himself gave this prediction:

In the verses that follow, Jesus describes in detail the procedure of judgement.

5. Jesus will come for the establishment of His millennial kingdom on the earth. This is included in the passage in Matthew 25 and predicted in Isaiah.

Then the moon will be disgraced

And the sun ashamed;

For the Lord of hosts will reign

On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

And before His elders, gloriously (Is. 24:23).

It is also predicted in Zechariah.

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name (14:9, NIV).

The period of time for which Jesus will thus reign is given in Revelation 20:4, where it speaks of the martyrs of the tribulation period:

And they lived and reigned with Jesus for a thousand years.

(Millennium is a Latin word meaning “a period of a thousand years.”) Thus we may briefly summarize the five main purposes for which Jesus will come.

1. Jesus will come for the church, to receive all true believers to Himself.

2. Jesus will come for the national salvation of Israel.

3. Jesus will come for the overthrow of AntiJesus and of Satan himself.

4. Jesus will come for the judgement of the Gentile nations.

5. Jesus will come to establish His millennial kingdom upon earth.

While there is general agreement among Bible believers concerning these main purposes of Jesus’s second coming, there has been much discussion and controversy concerning the details and the precise relationship of each to all the rest. Some of the main questions that have been asked are: Will all these purposes of Jesus’s return be accomplished together as one single event, or will there be definite intervals of time between some of them? If so, in what order will they take place? Is it possible that some will partly overlap others?

In our present study we shall avoid entering unnecessarily into these controversial questions, and we shall confine ourselves to that particular aspect of Jesus’s return which is directly associated with the resurrection of the righteous.

Resurrection and Rapture of True Believers

Paul describes how professing Christian’s will be resurrected to meet Jesus at His coming.

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Jesus will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

The primary purpose of Paul’s teaching here is to comfort Christian’s believers concerning other professing Christian’s – relatives or other loved ones – who have died. These professing Christian’s who have died are described as “those who have fallen asleep,” or, more precisely, “those who sleep in Jesus.” This means those who have died in the faith of the gospel. Paul’s message of comfort is based on the assurance that these, and all other true believers, will be resurrected.

The actual picture which Paul gives of this phase of the resurrection is as follows.

First, there will be three dramatic sounds to herald it. The first sound will be the shout of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, as He Himself had predicted.

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 condemnation (John 5:28-29).

It is the voice of Jesus alone that has power to call the dead out of their graves. However, at this particular moment He will call forth only the righteous dead – only those who have died in the faith. The calling forth of the unrighteous dead will be reserved for a later phase of resurrection.

The other two sounds that will be heard at this point will be the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God. The archangel here referred to is probably Gabriel, since it appears to be his special ministry to proclaim upon earth impending interventions of God in the affairs of men.

All through the Bible, one main use of the trumpet is to gather the Lord’s people together in any special time of crisis. The sound of the trumpet at this point will be the signal for all the Lord’s people to gather together with Him as He descends from heaven to meet them.

Upon earth two great events will occur in swift succession. First, all true believers who have died in the faith will be resurrected. Second, all true believers alive on earth at that moment will undergo an instantaneous, supernatural change in their bodies.

Then both these companies of believers – those who were resurrected and those whose bodies were changed without dying – will together be swiftly raised by God’s supernatural power from the earth up into the air. There they will be received into clouds, and within these clouds they will be reunited with their Lord and with each other. Thereafter the Lord and His redeemed believers will forever be united in unbroken harmony and fellowship.

There is special significance in two of the Greek words that Paul uses in this passage. Where he says “we shall be caught up,” the Greek verb translated “to catch up” is harpazo. This denotes a sudden, swift, violent grab. It is used four times in the New Testament to describe people being caught up to heaven.

In addition, it is used in Acts 8:39, where we read that “the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away” from the Ethiopian eunuch. It is used by Jesus in John 10:12 to describe the wolf “catching” the sheep. It is used by Him also in Matthew 13:19 to describe the birds snatching away the seed sown by the wayside. It is used in Jude verse 23 to describe people being pulled out of the fire.

Traditionally, Bible commentators have rendered harpazo by the word rapture – either as a noun or as a verb. Rapture is derived from a Latin verb which means precisely the same as harpazo – “to seize, to snatch away.” Throughout the rest of these studies, rapture will be used in this sense as the equivalent of harpazo.

Paul’s use of harpazo is deliberately intended to give the impression of one single, swift, sudden, violent act. Indeed, it suggests particularly the act of a thief. In this respect it is in line with other scriptures which compare this aspect of Jesus’s coming to that of a thief.

Behold, I am coming as a thief (Rev. 16:15).

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into (Matt. 24:42-43).

Notice the suggestion of violence in the statement that the house is to be “broken into.”

We may say, therefore, that the coming of Jesus for His church at this point will be like that of a thief in the following respects. It will be sudden, unexpected, without warning; it will culminate in one single, violent act of snatching away. Furthermore, that which is to be snatched away will be earth’s most valuable treasure – the true professing Christian’s. However, as we have already said, Jesus’s coming will differ from that of a thief in one extremely important respect: He will take away only that which is already His by right of redemption.

First Thessalonians 4:17 contains one other significant Greek word. Paul says that we shall meet the Lord “in the air.” The Greek word used here is aer.

This is one of two Greek words normally translated “air.” The other word is aither. The difference between these two words is that aer denotes the lower air in immediate contact with the earth’s surface; aither denotes the higher, rarer air, some considerable distance above the earth’s surface. Since Paul uses the word aer in relation to the Lord’s return, he indicates that the Lord’s gathering together with His raptured saints will take place in the lower air, quite close to the earth’s surface.

Paul refers again to this same moment of resurrection and rapture in 1 Corinthians.

Paul here unfolds “a mystery” – that is, a previously unrevealed secret of God’s plan for the church. The secret thus revealed is this: All true believers will be raptured together at the Lord’s coming, but not all those to be raptured will have died and been resurrected.

Those who are alive at the Lord’s coming will not die at all but will simply undergo an instantaneous and miraculous change in their bodies. By this change their bodies will be rendered exactly like those of the other believers who have been resurrected from the dead.

In the next verse Paul briefly summarizes the nature of the change that will take place.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:53).

Instead of being mortal and corruptible, the new body of each believer will be immortal and incorruptible.

Does this account given by Paul constitute a complete picture of the resurrection of all believers before the establishment of Jesus’s kingdom in the millennium?

To this question the answer would appear to be no. For it would seem that at least two further stages in the resurrection of the righteous are recorded in the book of Revelation.

Witnesses and Martyrs

In Revelation 11 we read the account of God’s two witnesses during the tribulation period and of their eventual martyrdom “by the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit” – the Anti Christ.

Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves . . . Now after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet . . . And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them (Rev. 11:9,11-12).

The account makes it plain that this was in the fullest sense a resurrection. Although their bodies had not been buried, these two martyrs had been dead for three and a half days. Then, in the open sight of their enemies, their bodies were resurrected, and they ascended into heaven. It is interesting to notice that their ascension into heaven is similar to each of the other cases that we have already considered in that it takes place in a cloud.

It seems clear that this resurrection of the two witnesses is distinct from the resurrection of professing Christian’s described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. It is not associated with the descent of Jesus from heaven, nor is there any mention of other accompanying features, such as a trumpet or the voice of an archangel.

If we now turn to Revelation 20:4-6, we find the account of what appears to be a further stage in the resurrection of the righteous.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgement was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Jesus for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection (20:4-6).

The people whose resurrection is described here are those who were beheaded as martyrs of Jesus during the period of the AntiJesus’s rule. These tribulation saints are shown as being resurrected at the close of the great tribulation, just prior to the establishment of Jesus’s millennial kingdom. They thus share with Jesus Himself, and with all other resurrected saints, the privilege of ruling and judging the nations on earth during the millennium.

Some commentators believe that these tribulation martyrs are included in the resurrection of professing Christian’s described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Others view it as a distinct and subsequent stage in the resurrection of the righteous. There is little to be gained by making this a subject of controversy. John closes the account of the resurrection of these martyrs with the words:

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection (Rev. 20:5-6).

By these words John apparently indicates that “the first resurrection” is now complete. All those who take part in this resurrection are called “blessed and holy.” That is to say, they are all righteous believers. (Up to this point, none of the unrighteous has been resurrected. The second resurrection, in which the unrighteous have their part, is described by John in the latter part of Revelation 20.)

If we now combine the revelations given by Paul and John, we may offer the following summary of the resurrection of the righteous.

The total resurrection of the righteous, from the moment of Jesus’s own resurrection down to the resur

rection of the tribulation martyrs just prior to the millennium, is called by John “the first resurrection.” All those who take part in this resurrection are “blessed and holy”; that is, they are all righteous believers.

However, within this total resurrection of the righteous we may discern at least four distinct events.

1. “Jesus the first-fruits” – that is, Jesus Himself and those of the Old Testament saints who were resurrected at the time of Jesus’s resurrection.

2. “Those who are Jesus’s at His coming” – the true professing Christian’s who are ready to meet Jesus at His return, together with those who died in the faith – all these together being caught up in clouds to meet Jesus in the air.

3. The “two witnesses” of the tribulation period, who are left dead but unburied for three and a half days and are then resurrected and ascend to heaven in a cloud.

4. The remainder of the tribulation martyrs, who are resurrected at the close of the tribulation period in time to share with Jesus and the other saints in the privilege of ruling and judging the nations on earth during the millennium.

Such, in brief outline, is the New Testament picture of the resurrection of the righteous.

In the next session we shall go on to consider the third and final phase of the resurrection.

Jesus the First-fruits

In the previous session we examined some of the main passages of the Old Testament which foretell the resurrection. We saw that the Old Testament foretells the following three main events:

1. 1. Jesus Himself will be raised from the dead.
  2. Those who believe in Jesus will share His resurrection.
  3. There will also be a resurrection of the wicked for purposes of judgement and punishment.

If we now turn to the New Testament, we find that the revelation it gives concerning the resurrection of the dead agrees exactly in these three main points with that of the Old Testament. However, a good deal more information is also given, to make the whole picture clearer and more detailed.

Three Successive Phases of Resurrection

The first New Testament passage we shall consider is found in the Gospel of John. Jesus says:

Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live (John 5:25).

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which 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 condemnation (John 5:28-29).

Jesus here uses two different phrases. In verse 25 He uses “the dead”; in verse 28 He uses “all who are in the graves.” The context seems to indicate that these two phrases are not identical but are contrasted with each other.

If this is so, then the first phrase, “the dead,” must be taken to describe not those who are physically dead but rather those who are spiritually dead in sin. This is in line with the language which Paul uses in Ephesians 2:1.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Here the context makes it plain that Paul is not speaking about people who were physically dead, but he is speaking about people who, as a result of sin, were spiritually dead and alienated from God.

Again, Paul uses language borrowed from Isaiah to exhort the sinner.

Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Jesus will give you light (Eph. 5:14).

Here, too, the one whom Paul exhorts to awake and arise from the dead is not physically dead but spiritually dead in sin.

It would seem, therefore, that we should apply this interpretation to the words of Jesus.

Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live (John 5:25).

Jesus is here speaking about the response of those who are dead in sin to the voice of Jesus, brought to them through the preaching of the gospel: “those who hear will live.” That is, those who receive the gospel message with faith will thereby receive forgiveness and eternal life.

This is confirmed by the fact that Jesus says, “The hour is coming, and now is.” That is to say, the preaching of the gospel to men dead in sins had already commenced at the time that Jesus spoke these words.

We notice the contrast between this and the words of Jesus in John 5:28-29.

The hour is coming in which 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 condemnation.

This passage differs from the previous one in three main respects.

First, Jesus says, “The hour is coming,” but He does not add, “and now is.” That is to say, the events of which Jesus here speaks are still entirely in the future; they have not yet begun to be fulfilled.

Second, Jesus uses the phrase “all who are in the grave.” This clearly refers to those who have actually died and been buried. Furthermore, He says that all these, without exception, will hear; whereas in the previous passage, concerning the dead, He indicated that only some would hear, not all.

Third, in this second passage Jesus actually uses the word resurrection. He says that all those in the graves will “come forth . . . to resurrection.”

We conclude therefore that in the first passage Jesus is speaking about the response of those who are spiritually dead in sin; while in the second passage He is speaking about the literal resurrection of those who have actually died and been buried.

In this second passage Jesus speaks about two distinct aspects of resurrection:

the resurrection of life;
the resurrection of condemnation.

This agrees with the revelation of the Old Testament in Daniel 12:1-3.

In each case the resurrection is spoken of in two distinct phases, that of the righteous and that of the wicked; and in each case the resurrection of the righteous precedes that of the wicked.

In addition, we learn from the words of Jesus one further point not revealed in Daniel: The voice that will call all the dead forth to resurrection will be that of Jesus Himself, the Son of God.

If we now turn to 1 Corinthians 15, we find there a yet fuller and more detailed account of the resurrection.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Jesus all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Jesus the first-fruits, afterward those who are Jesus’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power (1 Cor. 15:22-24).

Notice the phrase “each one in his own order.” The word translated “order” is used to describe a rank of soldiers. Thus Paul here pictures the resurrection as occurring in three successive phases, like three ranks of soldiers marching past, one behind the other.

The first phase consists of Jesus Himself – “Jesus the firstfruits.”

The second phase consists of all true believers when Jesus returns – “those who are Jesus’s at His coming.” This corresponds to the resurrection of the righteous foretold in Daniel and by Jesus Himself.

The third phase is called “the end” – that is, the end of Jesus’s earthly reign of one thousand years, at the close of which He will deliver up the kingdom to God the Father. Of those resurrected at this stage, the majority – but not all – will belong to the resurrection of the wicked as foretold in Daniel and by Jesus. Concerning this third phase, Paul says nothing more here in 1 Corinthians. However, we shall see in due course that further details concerning this are given in Revelation 20.

Let us examine more closely what Paul says about the first two phases.

Typology of the First-fruits

The first phase, Paul says, is “Jesus the first-fruits.” By this phrase Paul compares the resurrection of Jesus to the ceremony of presenting the first-fruits of the harvest to the Lord, as ordained for the children of Israel under the law of Moses.

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it” (Lev. 23:10-11).

This sheaf of the first-fruits waved before the Lord is a picture of Jesus coming forth from the dead as the sinner’s representative and as the beginning of a new creation.

Notice how accurate the picture is. The sheaf of the first-fruits was the first complete fruit to rise up out of the seed that had been buried earlier in the earth. Moses told the children of Israel that the priest was to wave this sheaf before the Lord “to be accepted on your behalf . . .”

In Romans 4:25 Paul tells us that Jesus “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”

The resurrection of Jesus not only vindicated His own righteousness, but it also made it possible for the believer to be reckoned equally righteous with Jesus before God.

Furthermore, this sheaf of the first-fruits was to be waved before the Lord “on the day after the Sabbath.” Since the Sabbath was the seventh or last day of the week, the day after the Sabbath was the first day of the week – the day on which Jesus did in fact rise from the dead.

Finally, the waving of the first-fruits was an act of worship and of triumph, for the appearing of the first-fruits at the appointed season gave assurance that the rest of the harvest would be gathered safely in. In like manner, the resurrection of Jesus gives assurance that all the remaining dead will also in their due season be resurrected.

However, there is yet one further prophetic revelation concerning Jesus’s resurrection contained in this Old Testament ordinance of the first-fruits. Jesus spoke prophetically of His own impending death and burial, and He compared this to a grain of wheat being buried in the earth. He said:

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain (John 12:24).

By this Jesus taught that the fruit of His ministry of reconciliation between God and man could come only as a result of His own atoning death and resurrection. If He were to stop short of death on the cross, no fruit could come forth out of His ministry. Only through His death, burial and resurrection could there come forth the fruit of a great harvest of sinners justified and reconciled to God. This truth He presented to His disciples in the picture of a grain of wheat being buried in the earth, germinating and springing up again as a fruitful stalk out of the earth.

In nature, although a single grain of wheat is buried in the earth, the stalk which springs up out of it never bears merely one single grain but a whole head or cluster of grains upon the one stalk. As Jesus indicated in the parable of the sower, the ratio of increase out of the single grain may be thirtyfold or sixtyfold or a hundredfold.

This truth of natural law applies also in the spiritual counterpart of Jesus’s resurrection. Jesus was buried alone, but He did not rise alone. This fact, which has received surprisingly little attention from the majority of Bible commentators, is clearly stated in Matthew 27:50-53. These verses record the death of Jesus upon the cross and various events which followed His death and resurrection.

Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Though these events are here presented in close succession one after the other, it is clear that the total period of time which they covered extended over three days. The death of Jesus on the cross took place on the eve of the Sabbath, but His resurrection took place early in the morning of the first day of the new week. In connection with this, Matthew states:

The graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection . . . appeared to many (Matt. 27:52-53).

At what precise moment the graves were opened, we do not know; but we do know that it was only after the resurrection of Jesus Himself that these resurrected saints arose and came out of their graves. Perhaps this was the first resurrection of those who passed on under the Old Covenant.

In this way the Old Testament type of the first-fruits was perfectly fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was buried alone – a single grain of wheat that fell into the ground. But when He arose again from the dead, He was no longer alone – no longer one single grain. Instead, there was a handful – a sheaf of the first-fruits – brought forth together with Him out of the dead and waved in triumph before God as a token of the defeat of death and hell and Satan, and as an assurance that all believers who had been buried would also in their due season be resurrected.

Concerning these Old Testament saints resurrected together with Jesus, two interesting questions naturally suggest themselves.

The first question is: Did these resurrected saints comprise all the righteous believers of the Old Testament? We’re all the Old Testament saints resurrected together with Jesus?

To this question the answer would appear to be no. Matthew says: “Many bodies of the saints . . . we’re raised.” This phrase, “many . . . of the saints,” in normal usage would indicate that it was not all the saints that arose.

This conclusion is supported by the words of Peter on the day of Pentecost.

Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day (Acts 2:29).

Peter is here speaking fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus. Yet his words suggest that the body of David was still in his tomb at that time. This would indicate that David, one of the greatest of the Old Testament saints, had not yet been resurrected at the time when Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost. Therefore this resurrection of Old Testament saints on the first Easter Sunday morning was a resurrection of some, but not of all.

The second interesting question concerning these resurrected Old Testament saints is: What became of them after their resurrection?

From the account given, it would appear that these Old Testament saints were, in the true sense, “resurrected” – that is, they were raised up once and for all out of the dominion of death and the grave, never to return again under that dominion. In this respect, there is a complete difference between these saints and the people whom Jesus raised from the dead during His earthly ministry.

Those whom Jesus raised from the dead were called back out of death to the same kind of natural, earthly life which they had previously. They still remained subject to all the weaknesses of mortal flesh, and in due course they died again and were buried. These people had merely been restored to natural, earthly life; they had not been resurrected from the dead. On the other hand, the saints who rose with Jesus shared His resurrection with Him. They entered into a totally new kind of life; they received new, spiritual bodies, just like that which Jesus Himself received.

Coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they [the resurrected saints] went into the holy city [that is, Jerusalem], and appeared to many (Matt. 27:53).

These words indicate that these saints had bodies of the same kind that Jesus had after His resurrection. They could appear or disappear at will. They were no longer subject to the physical limitations of a normal, earthly body.

If this is so, then there can be no thought that they ever returned again into their graves and submitted themselves afresh to the process of decomposition. In putting on these resurrection bodies, they had passed once and for all out of the shadow and dominion of death and the grave, never to return thereunder again.

What became of these saints after this? The New Testament does not give any definite or final answer to this question. However, it seems natural to suppose that these saints, having shared with Jesus in His resurrection, shared with Him also in His ascension into heaven. Let us therefore glance briefly at the description of the ascension of Jesus into heaven.

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight (Acts 1:9).

We notice that Jesus passed out of His disciples’ sight into a cloud and that within this cloud He then continued His ascent to heaven. Immediately after this, two angels appeared to the disciples and gave them the following assurance concerning the return of Jesus.

This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11).

This indicates that there is to be a close parallel between the ascent of Jesus into heaven and His return again from heaven to earth. He will so come in like manner as He was seen to go.

What does this imply? In Mark 13:26 (and in other passages also) it is stated that Jesus will come again in the clouds – more literally, in clouds. Again, Zechariah 14:5 and Jude verse 14 reveal that Jesus will come with His saints.

Combining these two statements, we find that Jesus will come “in clouds, with His saints.” We know also that the ascension of Jesus into heaven and His return from heaven are closely parallel. We know, further, that Jesus ascended into heaven “in a cloud.” We are therefore completing the parallel if we suggest that Jesus ascended into heaven together with those of his saints who had at that time been resurrected.

There is one further point of interest to notice in this connection.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb. 12:1).

What is this “cloud of witnesses” to which the writer of Hebrews refers? The context makes it plain that he is referring to the Old Testament saints whose exploits of faith had been recorded in the previous chapter – Hebrews 11.

These Old Testament saints are pictured as a cloud of witnesses surrounding each Christian’s believer who undertakes to run the race of faith in this dispensation. In this way the figure of a cloud is once again linked to the saints of the Old Testament.

From all these considerations it seems both logical and scriptural to suggest that, on the day of His ascension, Jesus was taken up into heaven within a cloud that also contained the Old Testament saints who had been resurrected with Him. In this way the resurrection and ascension of Jesus would exactly and completely fulfill all that is indicated in the typology of the Old Testament ordinance of the first-fruits. It would also be exactly parallel to the method of His promised return from heaven to earth.

However, this conclusion should be taken as no more than a logical inference from various indications of Scripture. It should not be put forward dogmatically as an established doctrine.