As will be recalled from the first two Q&As in this series, we read in Revelation 20:11-12 that those who will be raised in the Second Resurrection will be “judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”

This judgment refers to their new life during the Great White Throne Judgment period. As we explained, their minds will be opened and opportunity will be given them to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and to live God’s Way of Life, and they will be evaluated as to how well they are doing. They will have to give account for the works they will be doing then. Their works, which will be recorded in God’s heavenly books, will be judged based on the books of the Bible.

But there is another important aspect regarding the Judgment period. Those in the Second Resurrection will also have to give account for the works which they did in their PRIOR life.

We understand that all who were not called in this life and who did not commit the unpardonable sin will be in the Great White Throne judgment period (which may last for 100 years). This will include “good” people, such as widows and orphans and all those who lived decent lives in the best way that they could, given the knowledge which they had. But it will also include mass murderers, terrorists and those who committed horrendous war crimes.

It is true that every sin, which is truly repented of, will be forgiven by God, but that does not mean that despicable criminals will get a “free pass.” We must not think that they, appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ, will be getting “off the hook” without having to pay for their horrendous deeds. That is not the way God thinks, and it would be manifestly unfair, when considering the fate of the “good” and “decent” people who will also stand before Christ in the Judgment.

Think of modern terrorists who cause unspeakable harm to innocent victims. Some terrorists were killed within a second by a military airstrike or they were shot by the police. Others committed suicide by blowing themselves up and killing thereby dozens of innocent people. They did this in their misguided belief that Allah will reward them for these murders in “paradise.” Some commentators and observers have rightly pointed out that their death came far too quickly. If they receive immediate forgiveness in the Judgment, without having to account for and pay for their sins and crimes, then they would indeed get a “free pass.”

It is true, of course, that first of all, true repentance must be manifested. Those in the Second Resurrection will not qualify automatically. Rather, they will be CALLED and their minds will be OPENED. They will begin to UNDERSTAND the teachings of the Bible. But they still will have to respond to their call, as we must do today. They will need to accept the fact that they have sinned (sin being the transgression of the LAW of God, compare 1 John 3:4, Authorized Version), and that their human nature was EVIL. (Since this is true for those who lived “good lives”, how much more is it true for those deranged people who committed horrible and despicable sins and crimes!)

They must come to abhor themselves for their wicked deeds, and they must manifest their repentance by works worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8). They must recognize that they deserve to DIE the eternal death, because of their rotten conduct, but they will also learn that the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ paid their penalty of eternal death, and that they can be freed from that penalty, if they repent and believe.

This process will be much more difficult for some than for others. A life will not be changed easily if it has been dedicated to crime and murder, to war and terrorism, to sexual depravity and child molestation, to pathological lies and robbery, to idolatry and Sabbath-breaking, to sorcery and witchcraft and the worship of Satan and his demons. Those who engaged in these kinds of abominable practices will slowly come to the realization that they must change… and that they can only change with the help of the Holy Spirit. But they will need to accept that help and let it work mightily in their lives.

In addition, those who will be in the Second Resurrection will need to learn that they have to forgive others as well for their evil deeds (Matthew 6:12, 14-15). This will also be extremely difficult for some and can only be accomplished with God’s help.

Imagine the children who were raped by their father or who were terribly abused physically by their parents. Imagine the innocent victims who were tortured by depraved murderers in concentration camps or during the Inquisition. Imagine the unborn baby who was aborted by his or her mother. The criminal and the victim will face each other in the Great White Throne Judgment. They will talk to each other. They will try to understand how such cruel conduct could have been possible.

For some, if and when they come to true repentance, the recognition of their wicked conduct towards others will be tantamount to stripes, blows or wounds which they will receive. It will cut to or pierce their hearts (Acts 2:37). They will abhor themselves for their demonically inspired behavior. For many, that will not be easy, and it will be difficult for others to forgive those who abused, raped, tortured or murdered them. Again, none of this can be achieved unless they are willing to embrace God’s undeserved grace and mercy and His powerful help.

But will repentance and change be all that God will require? Will all the prior evil deeds be forgotten and not atoned for? Of course, we read that if we repent of our sins, God will forgive them and remember them no more (Jeremiah 31:34). But as we will see, God’s forgiveness does NOT refer to the time before sins have been repented of, nor does it mean that there will be no punishment for sins and crimes (Jeremiah 18:23; Exodus 23:21; Joshua 24:19-20; Isaiah 2:9; Lamentations 3:39-42; Psalm 59:5). Just the opposite is true.

Before discussing this most-overlooked fact in future installments, let us review some horrible and most disturbing statistics (which can be easily verified in numerous sources), and while we do so, ask yourself whether it would be righteousness with God if the blood of the innocent victims would not cry out for just and deserved punishment (compare Genesis 4:10-11; Revelation 6:9-10).

For instance, Pol Pot was the leader of the communist movement in Cambodia who tried to “cleanse” the country. It resulted in up to 2.5 million deaths.

Leopold II of Belgium created a colony which he called the “Congo Free State.” He enslaved the people and forced them into labor plants. He is accredited with the murder of up to 15 million people.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazi forces engaged in the systematic murder of as many as 17 million civilians, an estimated six million of whom were Jews.

It is estimated that Josef Stalin was responsible for the murder of 23 million people, including millions of victims in Ukraine and during the Great Purge or Great Terror in Russia.

Mao Zedong has the sad reputation of being the greatest mass murderer of all times. He is viewed for being responsible for the killing of up to 78 million people.

In addition to these individuals, we might also consider religions causing horrendous murders. Conservative estimates state that during the Islamic conquest of India, 80 million Indians were killed by Islam. Over 110 million black people were killed by Islam, including those Africans killed in the slave trades.

Reviewing the grim history of “Christianity,” we learn that Charlemagne beheaded up to 4,500 Saxons who were unwilling to convert; 80,000 Turks were slaughtered in the battle of Belgrade in 1456; and 18,000 Polish villages were plundered by the Knights of the Order in the 15th century.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of victims were murdered during the crusades, including the slaughter of Turks in Antioch and during the Battle of Ashkelon (in 1099); the slaughter of Jews in Germany and Poland; the murder of innocent victims during the invasion of Jerusalem (in 1099); and the murder of “heretics” such as the Albigenses (up to 70,000), Cathars (up to 1 million), Waldensians, Paulicians and others (at least 100,000 victims).

Millions were murdered during the Inquisition (15th-17th century), including the Spanish Inquisition (up to 3 million people); the Inquisition in France (20,000 Huguenots were killed in 1572); and the slaughter of 30,000 Protestants in Germany during the 17th century.

We might also mention that a total of 150 million American Indians or Native Americans were destroyed from 1500 to 1900 (most of them died of small pox and other epidemics, but about 50 million were killed by violence or slavery). In addition, almost 1 million Buddhists, Protestants and Catholics were wounded, tortured or executed in Vietnam.

The list could be greatly enlarged, and other statistics could be given about millions upon millions of abortions and child abuse cases; millions of deaths caused by drug dealers, weapon manufacturers and producers of chemical and biological weapons.

The question, which every thinking person must ask, is this: Will all these atrocities remain unpunished? Some might have received direct punishment from God in this life and very often, sin itself leads automatically to curses, harm, destruction and physical death (Galatians 6:7-8; Numbers 32:23), but other criminals and wicked sinners prospered and remained unpunished in this world ruled by Satan and cut off from God (Jeremiah 12:1; Job 12:6; Job 21:7-15; Job 24:2-16). However, we read that “the wicked will NOT go unpunished” (Proverbs 11:21). But even direct godly punishment in this life is oftentimes quick and swift (Psalm 73:12, 18-19).

We read in Genesis 6:5 that the “wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:13 adds that “the earth [was] filled with violence.” And so, God destroyed mankind (with the exception of Noah and those in the ark), by sending floodwaters on the earth (verse 17). The death of those who drowned in these waters was relatively quick. But does this mean that no further punishment is in store for them, when they are raised in the Second Resurrection?

The book of Ecclesiastes tells us the opposite. Nothing escapes God’s attention, and even though corrupt politicians, rulers and tyrants; depraved murderers and sexual perverts; pathological liars and violent robbers and kidnappers may not be punished by God in this life, God will not forget their evil deeds. We read that “God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15) and that God “shall judge the righteous and the wicked” (verse 17). We are told that “for every matter there is a time and judgment” (Ecclesiastes 8:6); and that “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

How exactly God will judge those in the Second Resurrection will be discussed in future installments.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer:  Norbert Link

In the first part of this series, we discussed the concept of three resurrections, and we began to discuss some of the conditions and the learning process of those who will be raised in the Second Resurrection.

To repeat, we can clearly see that there WILL BE a Second Resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5, 11-12 states that the Second Resurrection will occur 1,000 years AFTER the first resurrection. We read that those in the Second Resurrection will STAND before God and His Great White Throne. We also read: “… 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.”

It is important that we understand what all of these books are, and how exactly the people will be judged.

We explain the following regarding the BOOK of LIFE in our free booklet, “Are You Predestined to be Saved?“:

“… we read in Revelation 3:5: ‘He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I [Jesus Christ] will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.’… true Christians are written down in a particular book—the Book of Life—and… they will not be erased from it as long as they continue to overcome. We can also understand from this that their names could be blotted out from the Book of Life.

“At the end of the book of Revelation, in the 21st chapter, we are again introduced to the Book of Life. We read in verse 27: ‘But there shall by no means enter it [the new Jerusalem] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.’…

“[We also read that] ‘anyone not found written in the Book of Life’ will be ‘cast into the lake of fire’ (verse 15). This lake of fire is the ‘second’ or ‘ultimate’ final, eternal death, from which there will be no resurrection (verse 14)…”

We explain in the remainder of the booklet that those written in the Book of Life are those who are called in this day and age (but again, if they commit the unpardonable sin, their name will be blotted out). For the rest of mankind, their names are NOT yet written in the Book of Life, but for those living in the Millennium and for those in the Second Resurrection, their names CAN be written in the Book of Life, as it will be OPEN to them at that time. Today, it is only OPEN to those who have been predestined to be saved in this day and age. As long as their names ARE written (and not blotted out) in the Book of Life, their inheritance of ETERNAL life is guaranteed.

John 7:37-39 shows that at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, the Holy Spirit will be offered to all. [Today, the Holy Spirit is only offered to the “firstfruits” (Revelation 14:4)—to those who are called now according to God’s purpose.] We read:

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Christ spoke these words in 30 AD. At that time, nobody had received the Holy Spirit, but His disciples would receive it at the Day of Pentecost in 31 AD. Christ’s statement that all those who thirst could come to Christ and receive the Holy Spirit is applicable when the Holy Spirit will be available to all—beginning with those living in the Millennium. Revelation 22:17 makes the same point: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely!”  We also read in Isaiah 55:1: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.”

For the overwhelming majority—the masses of all the peoples who lived and died without accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior—their “day of salvation” will come in the Second Resurrection. (For true and converted Christians, their day of salvation is today, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2). It is therefore obvious that the reference in John 7:37 to the “last day, the great day of the feast,” describes the seventh Holy Day, known in Scripture as the “eighth day” (compare Leviticus 23:36; Numbers 29:35; Nehemiah 8:18), which became also known as the Last Great Day (compare again John 7:37: “on the LAST day, that GREAT DAY of the Feast…”).

This day is also referred to as “Shemini Atzeret (the eighth day of assembly)” and was treated by the rabbis as “an independent festival” (Edward Chumney, “The Seven Festivals of the Messiah,” 1998, p. 187). It immediately follows the seven-day Festival of the Feast of Tabernacles. While the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the Millennium, the Last Great Day pictures the Second Resurrection. (The seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not even a Holy Day or an annual Sabbath; therefore, it would make no sense to refer to it as the last GREAT day of the Feast).

Many commentators share the view that the reference in John 7:37 to the “last… great day of the feast” refers to the “eighth day”—not the seventh day.

Unger’s Bible Handbook, 1967, states on page 553: “The last day… (Lev. 23:36) was the most solemn and climactic of the entire festival cycle. It was the eighth day of rest and holy assembly. During the seven days prefiguring their wilderness wandering, water was drawn from the pool of Siloam and then poured out, commemorating the water supplied Israel in the desert. The eighth day signified the enjoyment of the springs of the land itself and no water was poured out.”

Further insight is given by William Henry Green, “The Hebrew Feasts,” copyright 1885, pp. 281 and 292:

“… at Tabernacles they remained not only through the full term of seven days, but an eighth day was added at the end, which in later times at least was reckoned ‘the great day of the feast,’ John 7:37…”

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1961, also say that the reference to the “last day, that great day of the feast,” in John 7:37, applies to the “eighth (Lev. 23:39). It was a sabbath, the last feast day of the year…”

The Worldwide Church of God under the human leadership of the late Herbert W. Armstrong taught that Christ spoke the above-quoted words on the eighth day, the Last Great Day, and not during the seventh day of the feast. John 8:1-2 show that these words were spoken in the evening—at the beginning of the eighth day.

The Holy Spirit will be offered and the Book of Life will be opened to ALL who will rise in the Great White Throne Judgment. For these people, the Holy Spirit had never been available before (they were cut off from the Tree of Life, symbolizing the Holy Spirit), and the Book of Life had not been opened to them. But when the fulfillment of the events arrives, which are pictured by the annual holy Festival of the Last Great Day, then their time of salvation has come.

But what is the meaning of the other BOOKS which will be open during the Great White Throne Judgment, and in what way will those in the Second Resurrection be judged by the things which were written in those books?

We quote again from our free booklet, “Are You Predestined to Be Saved?”:

“Let us notice the following interesting passage in Daniel 7:9-10: ‘I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, AND THE BOOKS WERE OPENED.’… From the context, this passage in Daniel seems to be referring to the time of Christ’s return. At that time, a court will be in session and books will be opened.

“A similar statement, which describes events [1,000] years after Christ’s return, can be found in Revelation 20:11-12. It refers to those who will be resurrected to physical life during the Great White Throne Judgment period… What are those books?

“This passage could refer to the books of the Bible. Certainly, we will be judged by the standards as revealed in God’s Holy Word, the Bible. But, there is another possibility as to what these books might refer to…

“The German Commentary Rienecker [“Lexikon zur Bibel”] points out: ‘We also hear about… books. According to their contents, judgment will occur at the last day… People will be judged according to their works. In God’s judicial records, the books, everything is written down that a human has thought, said and done. Everything will become manifest. There is only one possibility to escape sentence and become pronounced, not guilty. Their names must be written down in the other book, the Book of Life.’ Halley’s Bible Handbook states: ‘Every deed and motive will have been recorded… The “Books” will have the records of men’s lives.’… Herbert W. Armstrong… stated during a sermon in 1984 that the books to be opened include the good and the bad works which had been written down, specifically mentioning Matthew 12:36-37 in that context.

“Taking Daniel 7 and Revelation 20 together, it appears that this process of having to give account for one’s recorded deeds, whether good or bad, applies to EVERYONE. It applies to those who are called now to salvation AND to those who will be called later. It applies to converted Christians in this life, as well as to those who will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection…

“In Romans 14:10-13, we read Paul’s warning to converted Christians: ‘But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ… So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.’ Paul speaks in future terms. All of us SHALL stand—sometime in the future—before the judgment seat of Christ, and all of us SHALL give account of what we have done in this life. Now notice 2 Corinthians 5:10: ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.’

“… this judgment is not limited to converted Christians. Paul explains in the second chapter of the book of Romans that Gentiles will also be judged on their actions, words and thoughts, when their time of judgment has come. We read of their judgment, which mainly takes place during the time of the Great White Throne Judgment period: ‘For as many as have sinned without [the knowledge of the] law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law… in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ’ (Romans 2:12, 16).

“EVERYONE will be judged! Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed to man once to die, and afterwards the judgment. It is true, of course, that judgment has already begun for the house of God—His Church (1 Peter 4:17). But it has not been completed yet. There is still a judgment coming for everyone after death—including the house of God (1 Corinthians 4:5).

“For converted Christians, this coming judgment after death will not deal with the question of eternal life or death. Those who die in Christ will not be judged as to whether they will inherit eternal life, as they will not see eternal death (John 5:24, 28-29). However, their judgment or accounting has to do with their reward (compare Luke 19:13, 15-19). And their reward will depend on what they did in their lives with the ‘talents’ bestowed upon them by God’s Holy Spirit (compare Matthew 25:14-23).

“True Christians who died in Christ will be resurrected to eternal life at the time of His Second Coming, but they, too, even though immortal spirit beings by then, will still have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive their reward. We are told in Matthew 25:19 that ‘the lord of those servants [Christ] came and settled account with them.’…

“When the multitudes of people are resurrected during the Great White Throne Judgment period to be taught God’s Word and confronted with their recorded sins, most will deeply repent of what they had done. They will then obtain forgiveness, and their [repented] sins will be blotted out from the heavenly records, just as ours are today [upon our repentance] and the [repented] sins of those yet to be called before the [Millennium and the] Great White Throne Judgment period. The Book of Life will be opened to them, and after a certain period of time of living in the flesh and overcoming their carnal natures and evil habits, they, too, will be able to reach their potential—inheritance of eternal life in the Kingdom or Family of God.”

As we will show in future installments, this process of repentance will be more difficult for some than for others. We will also discuss the fact that those who committed horrible sins and crimes in this day and age will be punished in the Great White Throne Judgment for what they did.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Most professing Christians do not understand that the Bible speaks about more than just one resurrection. In fact, Scripture reveals three resurrections.

In our “Statement of Beliefs,” we address the three resurrections in the context of God’s annual Holy Days in the Fall or Autumn, as follows:

“The Feast of Trumpets… symbolizes the soon coming return of Jesus Christ to this earth (Leviticus 23:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), and our resurrection or change to immortality, to be born again into the Kingdom or Family of God (1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 42-49; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; John 3: 3, 5-8)…

“The Feast of Tabernacles… symbolizes the reign of Christ for 1,000 years, together with His saints made immortal, during which time Satan will be bound and the entire world will be living under the government of God (Leviticus 23:33-35; Daniel 7:27; John 7:2-8, 10-14; Revelation 20:4)…

“The Last Great Day… symbolizes a 100-year period called the ‘Great White Throne Judgment,’ during which all persons who have ever lived and who were never called by God for salvation during this life, will have their first opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior (Leviticus 23:36; John 7:37; Revelation 20:11-12). At the end of that period, there will be a judgment during which all people who have ever lived and who have refused to accept Christ as their Savior, will be finally condemned to eternal death and destroyed in Gehenna fire (Revelation 20:13-15).”

In our free booklet,  “Is That In the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation“, we state the following:

“In Revelation 20, we are introduced to the concept of THREE resurrections… Paul was inspired by God to write in 1 Corinthians 15:20–26… that there is an ORDER of resurrections… When Christ returns, only those who died IN CHRIST will be resurrected. They will be resurrected to immortality. However, not all of the dead will be resurrected at that time… This resurrection to eternal life at the time of Christ’s return is described in 1 Corinthians 15:50–54… Those in the first resurrection will become immortal Spirit beings—they will be part of the resurrection of ETERNAL LIFE. They will rule with Christ ON THIS EARTH for a thousand years (Revelation 20: 4, 6; 5:9–10)…

“Following the first resurrection of those who died ‘in Christ’ will be the second resurrection of those who had not accepted Christ when they died. They will come back to live as humans, and will then have their first opportunity to learn the truth and accept Christ. But their resurrection will come LATER—it will NOT occur at the time of Christ’s return. Revelation 20:5, 11–12 describes the SECOND resurrection: ‘But the REST OF THE DEAD [who were not in the FIRST resurrection] did not live again UNTIL the thousand years [the Millennium] were finished… Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… And I saw the dead, small and great, STANDING before God… And the dead were JUDGED…’

“This second resurrection is not one to eternal life, but to physical life. It is a resurrection to JUDGMENT… Ezekiel 37:7–11 describes the resurrection of the entire house of Israel to PHYSICAL LIFE. They will be resurrected in the SECOND resurrection. When the dead of Israel are brought back again to physical life, God will deal with them as He deals with true Christians today… It is not only the people of Israel who will be resurrected at that time. We read in Matthew 12:41–42 that the men of Nineveh and the queen of the South ‘will RISE UP in the JUDGMENT’ together with people who were alive at the time of Jesus Christ. Compare, too, Matthew 10:14–15 and Matthew 11:21–24, referring to other unconverted people who had died in the past…

“But there will be a FINAL resurrection following the second resurrection. We refer to it as the THIRD resurrection… Unfortunately, there are those who have rejected their opportunity to come to repentance and accept Christ. They have committed the ‘unpardonable sin.’ They once knew and understood perfectly well that they had to submit to Christ, but they refused to do so. They became bitter, hateful, resentful and malicious. They made the irreversible decision NEVER to repent… God will save such a person from eternal misery, by DESTROYING him in a lake of fire. Revelation 20:13–15 describes the THIRD resurrection, which will occur sometime AFTER the judgment period of the second resurrection: ‘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.’”

In this series of articles, we will be addressing in detail the nature and conditions of the Second Resurrection or the Great White Throne Judgment.

In our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy — From Now Until Forever,” we state that “As a general truism, when we look at the physical conditions during the Millennium and compare them with the conditions during the Great White Throne Judgment period, we find that the conditions are very similar.”

This observation has great consequences for the understanding of how exactly the people in the Second Resurrection will live.

We make the following statements in our afore-mentioned booklet on “Biblical Prophecy—From Now Until Forever”:

“For instance, we read the famous statement in Isaiah 11:6-9 that during the Millennium, wild beasts will be tame and that the wolf and lamb shall feed together. The same conditions are described in Isaiah 65:25, referring to the Great White Throne Judgment period (compare the context in verses 17 and 20), but a few more details are given then; i.e., that ‘dust shall be the serpent’s food.’…

“We know that Christ will come to restore all things on this earth (Acts 3:19-21), and… this includes, of course, the establishment of the government of God here on earth. The restoration must therefore also apply, by necessity, to the time period of the Great White Throne Judgment. Christ’s restoration includes the fact that mankind will be brought to repentance at that time, and that the Holy Spirit will be offered to them… Christ will rule on the throne of David in Jerusalem during the Millennium. His rule will continue during the Great White Throne Judgment period. He will continue to RULE on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32-33)…

“Notice Isaiah 25:7-9: ‘And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over ALL people, And the veil that is spread over ALL nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from ALL faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from ALL the earth; for the LORD has spoken.’ As we can see, this is the ultimate goal. This message is partially repeated in Revelation 21:4, when God the Father dwells on the new earth.

“In order to achieve that goal in fulfillment of God’s Will that all men should be saved (even though some will refuse to be saved), Christ’s rule during the Great White Throne Judgment period must allow for that process—including the removal of the spiritual veil which blinds the people to the truth… Even though God will remove the spiritual veil from people’s minds, they still need to be taught the right way, and they have to be encouraged to stay on that right path, as is explained in Isaiah 30:20-21, referring to teachers showing the way. God’s immortal saints will be those teachers, and the God Family will hasten righteousness in mercy on the earth (Isaiah 16:5; Psalm 96:13; 67:3-4).”

It is important to focus on this process of salvation. People will not accept Christ “automatically.” This is not the case today for those who are being called for salvation in this day and age, and this won’t be the case during the Millennium either. Let us focus on a few examples as to how people are being brought to Christ and God’s Way of Life in the Millennium, from which we can deduce how Christ will deal with the people during the Great White Throne Judgment period:

Quoting again from our afore-mentioned booklet on Biblical Prophecy:

“The Bible makes it very clear that after Christ’s return, He will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem (Luke 1:32) to rule the entire world. But all the nations will not automatically and immediately know and embrace the truth; they will have to be taught and their minds will have to be opened. Their conversion will be a process—the same as ours is today…

“Recall that at the beginning of the Millennium, Asiatic hordes will try to conquer the land of Israel (compare chapters 38 and 39 of the book of Ezekiel). But notice WHY God will deal with the hordes supernaturally, mightily and swiftly: For one reason, He wants to have the survivors of Israel and Judah understand, once and for all, HOW powerful God is, and that He will always defend them, and that there is never a need for them to fight in war. In fact, God wants them to realize that it would always be wrong for them to fight in war.

“Notice Ezekiel 39:22: ‘So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward.’ Compare also verse 7, first part: ‘So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel. And I will not let them profane My holy name anymore.’ The second part of Ezekiel 39:7 tells us this: ‘Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.’

“… when God intervenes for Israel and when He brings the Far Eastern nations into judgment with a great earthquake, pestilence and bloodshed, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:19, 22), so that even the troops of the hostile armies will begin to fight each other (verse 21), then it will become clear to the nations that God is now hallowed in Israel, and that Israel’s former sins have been forgiven. But equally importantly, Israel will know and understand this too (compare Ezekiel 39:27-29)…”

In the Millennium, individuals and nations will not automatically accept the fact that they must cease from war. It will take time to bring about the transformation of their minds to understand the utter futility of war. We read in Isaiah 2:3 about conditions in the Millennium: “Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD… He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’… He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Those who are being resurrected to physical life during the Great White Throne Judgment period will also have to learn that war is wrong. This learning process will require some time.

In our booklet on Biblical Prophecy, we continue to describe further developments during the Millennium:

“… not every nation is going to be willing to obey God immediately and to keep His Sabbath and His Holy Days. We read in Zechariah 14:16-19, that not every nation will immediately worship God in the right way—some will refuse for a while to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. When this happens, God will deal with them. He will withhold certain blessings—rain in due season, which is necessary for a good harvest—and so they will learn swiftly that it does not pay to disobey God…”

There is no reason to assume that it will be different in the Great White Throne Judgment period. There will be those who won’t easily want to follow God’s Law, including His provisions regarding the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days. So, God will have to deal with them in the same way as He will have to correct the disobedient ones in the Millennium.

It is the same today. God chastens us when we disobey Him (Hebrews 12:4-11; Revelation 3:19).  He will do the same in the Millennium AND during the Great White Throne Judgment period. In the next installment, we will continue to see how exactly God will deal with those who will be brought back to physical life in the Second Resurrection.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link