Judgment, as the Apostle Peter noted, is ongoing in God’s church.  The thoughts, words and deeds are being judged now.  Their judgment status will determine their place in His future kingdom, provided they continue to obey Him until the end (Mat. 10:22).  If they fall away they will not be allowed into His kingdom.  Contrary to popular opinion, God does not say that salvation is attained in this life.  Those who have lived on earth between creation and the time of Christ’s return will be awarded salvation or refused salvation at that time.  Read Hope and Salvation.  Key word–Hope.  As made clear in this and previous series, salvation and rebirth are future considerations.  No one is saved or born again in this life.  Read Born Again.  Key word–Again.

Since the death of Abel, all who have died will remain dead until the Lord’s Second Advent at which time He will affect the first resurrection which will involve His “firstfruits” (1 Cor. 15:20,23/ Jam. 1:18: Rev. 14:4) only.  After joining Him in the clouds, they will descend with Him to the Mount of Olives and follow Him into Jerusalem where He will establish the Kingdom of God on earth.  That kingdom is now located in heaven, which Jesus made clear in Matthew 6:10.

The first 1000 years of God’s earthly kingdom is called the Millennium.  It is during that time that those who did not hear God’s Truth in this life will be resurrected to physical life during the second resurrection.  They will be taught God’s way by His firstfruits (Very Elect) and will be given the opportunity to embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior by obeying what they have been taught.  They will begiven 100 years to prove their faith in and obedience to Him (Isa. 65:20).  Those who do so will live forever on an new earth and under a new heaven.  Those involved in the second resurrection will include people who were involved in the world’s religions, including what is called “Christianity” today.  For all except the firstfruits who were resurrected during the first resurrection, this will be their “day of salvation.”  Recall that to God “a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day.”  Which brings up a point of confusion for many, myself included in the past, who take the Scriptures literally.

In 2 Corinthians 6:2 we find the Apostle Paul saying: “For He says, ‘I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation I have sustained you: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  This would lead one to believe that THE DAY of salvation is now, in this lifetime, for that is indeed what is written in the New Testament passage.  However, Paul is quoting Isaiah 49:8 where it is written that “now is A day of salvation,” not THE day of salvation.  Those who translated the New Testament into English changed the wording to match their preconceived notions.  Only by studying the Old Testament can we know the Truth about Paul’s statement.  King James translators were Catholics who, as I have pointed out, claim that God allows them to change the Holy Scriptures at will, which they did in several instances.  To this day the church claims the right to change any part of the Holy Bible that does not fit their narrative.  This includes “even the precepts (statements) of Christ.”  Not to be outdone in their service to Satan, Protestants have assumed the same power and use it extensively.  See the Introduction to this website where a number of those changes are listed.  Isaiah, in saying that now is a day of salvation, was telling the people then and now that we are in the process of qualifying for salvation which the Lord tells us will be made available upon Christ’s return following the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord.

For God’s true saints, judgment is taking place as I write this.  For those within professing Christendom, having never heard God’s Truth, there is coming a “day” of judgment which is called the “Great White Throne Judgment” (Rev. 20:11).  In this 1000 year judgment period every human being born between Adam and the return of Jesus Christ who was not raised in the first resurrection will be made alive, given 100 years to qualify for salvation, and judged.  This judgment will involve the second resurrection when all those individuals who did not have a chance to know God will be resurrected and given an opportunity to learn about the price paid for their souls, hear His Truth and, over a 100-year period, prove their acceptance or rejection of Him and the salvation He offers to them.

Some in the second resurrection will not accept His offer.  These, along with those who, during this life, knew His Truth and rejected it, will be brought back to life in the third resurrection and cast into the Lake of Fire where they will burn to ashes.  This offers hope for our loved ones who, during the millennium, will be given the opportunity to spend eternity with the Lord, for it is His will that all be saved and live forever with Him in paradise.

In summary:  God’s Very Elect are those who know His Law/Word/gospel/Truth (the particulars of His government), believe it and obey it.  They are being judged in this life to determine their rewards upon the return of Jesus Christ to earth.  Those who fall away from Him will receive what He has prescribed in writing.  Everyone except the Very Elect will be resurrected to physical life, each in his order, and dealt with according to the Word of God.

There will be three resurrections of the dead.  Those in the first resurrection will be the Very Elect.  These will be the minutely few true saints who qualified for salvation during their lifetimes by strictly obeying God’s Word until the end.  These are called his “firstfruits.”  The second resurrection will involve those who did not hear God’s Word during their lifetimes.  These will include people of all religions, including all Catholics and Protestants whom Satan had deceived into believing that they were God’s people and that the “truth” they heard was of God.  During the millennium these multiplied billions will be taught His Truth by His firstfruits and given the opportunity to believe and obey His Words unto salvation.  The third resurrection will consist of two groups of people: 1) those of the second resurrection who, when given the opportunity to embrace God, refuse to do so and die in their sins and 2) those who knew His Truth in this life and rejected it, or having embraced it, then fell away.  All of those in the third resurrection will be burned to ashes in the Lake of Fire where Satan and his angels will suffer forever in everlasting torment.  L.J.