The Day Of Judgment

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Does a person's death seal their fate for all eternity? Many Christians and Scriptural scholars of our day, basing their answer on Hebrews 9:27, believe this to be the case. It is believed that all one can do for good or for bad, as well as the opportunity to obtain salvation ends at death. After which occurs this judgment, which is supposedly a review of how one lived their life as well as the eternal sentence; ether to life eternal, or to eternal damnation.

"Judgment Day" to many is seen as a time where all who have lived throughout the ages, one by one stand before YHWH to have their good works weighed against their sins. Others see the last judgment as a time where only the unsaved dead are raised in order to confess finally and by constraint that Yahshua is Messiah, after which they are cast into an eternal hellfire of torment.

Clearly, according to scripture, there is a great day of God's judgment coming as foretold in Revelation chapter 20:

If the passage above were all the information we had been given about the last great day of judgment, then perhaps the common views previously stated may be the only alternative. However, what many may not be aware of is that this day of judgment is spoken of in dozens upon dozens of scriptures. One troubling thing is that most people will never hear the many passages which clarify, and detail exactly what this judgment entails preached from the pulpits of their churches.

In studying dozens of commentaries on these passages, something became very clear: Most "orthodox" commentators and scholars simply refuse to believe what the scriptures say concerning the true nature of the last judgment. It seems as if most have decided in their own minds what this judgment must be and then proceed through scripture twisting and explaining away anything which will not bend to their view.

 The final judgment of mankind is not a time in which YHWH commits billions to everlasting flames of torment for all eternity.  Any unbiased person who examines all the scriptures pertaining to the last judgment will agree that they simply do not, and indeed CAN NOT be made to teach the popular theories of evangelical theology. The question might be asked of any sincere student of YHWH's Word; If you could be shown from the scriptures that this 'day of judgment' is not for the sentencing the majority of humanity to eternal hellfire, but to instruct them in righteousness that they may find a place of repentance and salvation, wouldn't you rejoice in that truth?

Even though that is exactly what the Scriptures do teach, most who claim to be Christians simply refuse to hear it. They refuse to believe that their "God" could do anything to save anyone once they have passed on in death. This is most disturbing. What is it about modern evangelicalism, and fundamentalism, that makes them want to believe that YHWH will torment billions of men, women, and children for all eternity? Of course, those who cling to this position will accuse me of misrepresentation, claiming that they are constrained to believe the scriptures, no matter how disturbing, even though they take no pleasure in it.

Even in our day of global television ministries, missionary movements, and things of the like, over two-thirds of world's population remains totally heathen. This number is not counting Catholics, all Protestant denominations, Jews, and Muslims. Over SIXTY-SIX percent of all men, women and children alive on this planet this very moment will never in their lifetime so much as hear the one name given among men whereby we must be saved. Add to this the countless billions upon billions from ages past which never knew of the true Elohim, or of true faith. What becomes of them?

The one question which most Christians fear above all others is the one which asks:

"What happens to all the billions of people who never heard the gospel or evangel, or had a chance to be saved?"

In reply to this the question must be asked:

Why would an infinitely wise Elohim first create billions upon billions of  souls knowing fully and completely that MOST (let's just be honest about it) would never find him, and in fact BLIND them so they couldn't find him, knowing that their ultimate destiny most be eternal torment in hellfire?

But even more puzzling:

Why would an infinitely wise Elohim send his only begotten, beloved son, to suffer, be tortured, and die for a relative FRACTION of humanity?

Is this the wisdom of our Father, and of our Scriptures? The only answer that can be given is an emphatic 'NO', and thank YHWH that it is so. The scriptures reveal a much grander plan than mankind could ever fathom. A plan which only an infinite wisdom could ever conceive or carry out. A plan which involves every man, woman, and child to whom YHWH ever gave the breath of life.

It is hoped that this study brings comfort to those who fear that their loved ones may have gone to hell because they failed to be "saved" in this lifetime, but even more it is prayed that it brings glory and honor to YHWH; the author and architect of such a wondrous hope.

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of ELOHIM! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Matt 25:31-46
 

This passage from Matthew's Gospel, commonly referred to as "the parable of the sheep and the goats" has caused untold confusion in the minds of many. We will begin our study of the judgment here.

Once again, in reviewing numerous commentaries on this passage one can readily see that almost no two scholars agree on the meaning.

Actually, the meaning of the passage seems clear enough. There really isn't much in the passage which would seem to cause too much difficulty. So what's the problem? Why all the difficulty and controversy surrounding this passage? The answer is that the passage is not easily harmonized with the teachings of most mainstream denominations; particularly those which teach that works play no part in one's salvation and never will in any age. This makes the problem very apparent.

Here we have detailed for us a judgment which is clearly based on works. The only difference between the "sheep" and the "goats" is what they did and didn't do. In addition to this, we have the following problems:

It seems as though the timing of this judgment is not easily reconciled with the popular evangelical theology. Catholics in their zeal to maintain a works based salvation say that this sheep and goats judgment must refer to the last "great white throne" judgment of Revelation Chapter 20. From this comes the popular belief that salvation is obtained when one's good works outweigh their bad.

Others feel that this judgment cannot refer to the last great white throne judgment, but instead a judgment upon nations and not individuals. In this view the 'sheep and goats' judgment is seen as taking place at the second advent immediately following the "great tribulation". The judgment is conducted to see which nations go into the millennial blessings and which do not.

Those who are earnestly desiring to find the truth should be very disturbed by the wholesale lack of agreement between "scholars" on what appears to be a very simple teaching..

These doctrines were to be absolutely fundamental and well understood. The author of Hebrews (6:1-2) urges that it's time to move on and stop rehashing these things over and over. How sad that in our day very few could even give a detailed scriptural explanation of what they believe, let alone WHY they actually believe it.

Ultimately the real question is; Are the Scriptures really this hard to understand? Is the same Spirit leading all these scholars to all these different interpretations? Maybe it's time that we re-examine our motives behind why we believe the way we do. I only ask that whoever reads this will be honest with themselves when examining the scriptures pertaining to the last judgment. Isn't it time that we let the Word of YHWH speak for itself instead of constantly parroting the party line from the commentaries and creeds?
 

The key to understanding the parable of the sheep and the goats lies in discovering its timing. After all, there are only so many judgments recorded in the Bible, especially those of the magnitude talked about here. It's impossible to believe that Yahshua foretold such a monumental event, and have it nowhere else corroborated in scripture. The more scriptural information we can bring to bear on the subject, the better prepared we will be to decipher the parable.

First of all, it must be understood that we are in fact dealing with a PARABLE. As such, it's used to represent and illustrate a truth, not to give an exact representation of what will happen. Obviously Yahshua isn't going to separate literal sheep and goats. It is however this strictly literal interpretation which has led many to conjure up images of a 24 hour time period where all, one by one line up to give account to Elohim. Those deemed worthy of life are gathered to the right, while the wicked to the left.

Anyone should be able to see that such an interpretation has its problems. Even so, we can determine some things as fact:

1. Whenever this judgment occurs, it takes place AFTER the second advent.
   
   When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory
    

2.      It denotes a great time of separating which is to include ALL nations.

before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats
 

3. There is a clearly defined criteria for judgment, it is clearly works based dealing with Messiah's "brethren":
   
   For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me... Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me
    
4. The ultimate outcome is "eternal life" for the righteous, and everlasting fire for the wicked:
   
   And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal

In trying to determine exactly when this judgment takes place, and knowing clearly from the text that it must follow the second advent, it should be understood that our options are already quite limited. This should make things easier for us. Since we know for certainty that this judgment follows the second coming.   And from Rev. 20:5 (though some believe the phrase is spurious) some believe that the "great white throne" judgment follows the thousand year reign of Messiah.

Most see only two options. Either this judgment takes place after the second coming but before the thousand year reign, or if after the thousand year reign it is in fact another description given of the last judgment in Revelation 20. These, it is commonly thought, are our only options. The pre-millennialists must decide if the 'sheep and goats' judgment is a picture of the last "great white throne" judgment, or if it's a separate judgment upon nations immediately after the second advent, but preceding the one thousand year reign. Almost all will take the latter option based on the following reasons:

1.      The sheep and goats judgment takes place on earth, whereas in the great white throne judgment, heaven and earth are said to have fled away.
 

2.      The criteria of the sheep and goats judgment is works, where in the great white throne judgment the criteria is the book of life
 

3.      The sheep and goats judgment is upon the living where no mention of a resurrection is made, whereas the great white throne judgment is often understood to be for the "rest of the dead.”

4.      No statement here is being made as to the correctness of this position.  This is merely the position of those who believe the 'sheep and goats' judgment to be a separate event between the second advent and the millennium. Some may give other reasons in addition to those above but they are generally the "big three".

If we reject those reasons just listed, then it would seem that our ONLY other option is to assume that Messiah here is giving another picture of the last judgment as described in Revelation 20. 

Although the standard pre-millennial answer seems to make valid points, we simply must choose the second option--that the sheep and goats parable points to the Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20.

While the pre-millennialists feel they have "rightly divided the word" by inserting a separate judgment between the advent and the thousand year reign, they have in fact created more problems than they have solved. If we carefully examine the passages relating the second advent, we will see that such an interpretation is impossible. 

Consider the following:

Those who teach that this judgment immediately follows the second advent maintain that those who are saved do so by helping the Yahudi (Messiah's "brethren") during the great tribulation. While this sounds plausible, there are problems.

First of all, every passage relating to the second advent shows that the wicked who fight against Him are destroyed AT Messiah's coming, not following his coming in a separate judgment. The picture is always the same; Those who are watching for Messiah, or have turned to Messiah in faith during the coming tribulation are protected or resurrected as spirit beings, while the wicked who fight against him are slain. This picture will simply not fit the one given in the parable:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats

Second, we are told very clearly in Revelation chapter 7 what criteria was used for those who escape "the great tribulation":

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Rev 7:13-14

These are obviously saved by faith in Messiah, not by good works in helping out the Yahudi (Jews).

However, it is the outcome of the parable which tells us that we can be sure that the standard pre-millennial interpretation is incorrect. Please notice carefully this picture of the second advent from Revelation 19:

Now notice very carefully: There is simply no time here to sit on a throne in judgment. ALL who are not under divine protection are gathered here. But notice very carefully what happens to them:

And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword.

Who was throne into the lake of fire?  The beast and false prophet are thrown into to lake of fire.  Were they the only ones??  Is the beast one individual or a whole system?  The problem with taking this highly symbolic language literally in all respects is that some, then, have reached the conclusion that it is only two individuals.

But we need to consider the scriptures in Revelation 20 which speak of Satan being bound.  If taken literally, it would be concluded that only Satan is bound.  But it would make no sense to not believe that the demons and all those sources of influence are not bound as well.  Logic would bring us to the understanding that the whole system is included.

Clearly this isn't the same picture as the "sheep and goats" parable. There can't be any judgment upon the nations immediately following this where Messiah sits on the throne of His glory, because he just killed all the wicked at his coming! There aren't any goats left to judge!

Notice Again:

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,  And knew not until the flood came, and took them ALL away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt 24:38-39

Compare this with the words of Paul:  1 Thes 5:2-3

In addition, the picture of a few escaping judgment at Armageddon doesn't seem to fit the picture which Messiah has given us:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:

Does Messiah sit on "the throne of his glory" and judge a remnant only? Does the picture of "all nations" being gathered fit with the view that this judgment is over a mere remnant which somehow escape YHWH's wrath at Messiah's coming?

We must conclude that the "sheep and goats" judgment cannot be a separate judgment sandwiched between the advent and the thousand year reign. Our only other option is to admit that Messiah must here be giving us another picture of the last great white throne judgment from Revelation 20.  However in doing so we will arrive at a much different view of what is actually contained within this judgment.
 

A careful study will show that Revelation 20 is highly misunderstood. Once we carefully study it along with many other scriptures pertaining to the judgment, we will see that it in fact harmonizes perfectly with the description Yahshua gave us in Matthew 25. Instead of foretelling the doom of countless billions of people it actually tells of a great hope which will be held out to all.

In John Chapter 5 Jesus states:

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:28-29

Our standard King James translation of this verse has caused untold confusion. Comparing the phrase "resurrection to damnation" with Revelation 20, many assume that if the first resurrection is the resurrection to life Yahshua spoke of:..

Rev 20:5– this is the first resurrection.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and set-apart is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second death possesses no authority over these, but they shall be priests of Elohim and of Messiah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.  Rev 20:5b-6

...then it must follow that the second resurrection where the dead appear before the great white throne MUST be the resurrection to damnation. This in fact is why many assume that ALL who appear in the great white throne judgment are lost.

However, we must admit that if John chapter 5 can be shown to not necessitate condemnation and damnation, then neither will Revelation 20. Notice the following from Revelation 20 and the picture of the last judgment:

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged from what was written in the books, according to their works.

Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Rev 20:14 And the death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

In stating that whosoever was not found in the book of life are lost, it would seem to imply that some WERE in fact found written there.

The Greek word translated "damnation" in John 5 is krisis, and corresponds exactly with our English word "crisis". In almost every other Apostolic Scripture (New Testament) occurrence this same word has been translated "judgment".

Dr. Thayer gives the following as his first and primary definition of the word:

2920 krisis-

1) a separating, a sundering, a separation;
a trial, a contest

If we study the way this word is used throughout the Apostolic Scriptures, we can readily see that "damnation" is by no means a fair translation. Consider the following:

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (Gk. krisis) : and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Gk. Gehenna-- the most severe sentence). Matthew 5:22

In this passage, the krisis is clearly not equal to damnation, nor even the "council" for that matter. To translate krisis as "damnation" here would make the passage nonsense.

In no way does the "resurrection to krisis" in John 5 necessitate that all who come up in that resurrection are lost. It does however mean that they come up to a trial, a contest, a time of testing, and a crisis.

Again, from the book of Acts we see how Paul talks about this judgment, but once again never implies that all who enter into it are lost:

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the Elohim of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Torah and in the prophets:  And have hope toward Elohim, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. Acts 24:14-15

To Paul, the resurrection is a subject of hope, not for the just only, but also for the unjust.

Once we can comprehend that the "judgment" does not mean condemnation and damnation for every one who enters into it, so many more scriptures fall into place:

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. Matt 10:1415

Let the scriptures speak and not our pre-conceived ideas!!

Why is it more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for the city which would not accept Yahshua? The standard answer is that there are degrees of punishment in hell. But the text doesn't say "HELL". Furthermore, the common conception of hell is not TOLERABLE FOR ANYONE. Why are the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah being shown a level of toleration?

Notice: It's more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah but it's at least tolerable for all in some sense or the passage is meaningless. It is tolerable IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT!!

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, 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 unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. Matt 11:21-24

Continuing, we find even more information pertaining to this judgment. Information which simply refuses to bend to the popular notions of judgment:

Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment (Gk. krisis) to the Gentiles.  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment (Gk. krisis) unto victory. Matthew 12:18-20

The Greek word for "gentiles" in verse 18 is the same word used for "nations" in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Furthermore the Greek word "krisis" is used in both cases where the word "judgment" appears.

Here, the whole sense of "judgment" is one of hope. "Judgment to the Gentiles" and "judgment unto victory" are both used in a positive sense, not in the sense of damnation and condemnation.  Consider another passage:

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt 12:36

The verse means exactly what it says. However, upon reading a passage like this, a strange thing happens to our "conservative" and "orthodox" scholars. Earlier, where the Scriptures clearly stated that it would be more tolerable for some than others IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, they took that to mean MORE TOLERABLE IN HELL. Why do they not employ the same reasoning here? Why don't ANY of them teach that man must give an account of every idle word in HELL? Why is it that we never question such inconsistencies? 

That 'resurrection to damnation' in John 5 is impossible should be obvious from the following:

The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment (Gk krisis) with this generation, and shall condemn (Gk. katakrino) it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.  The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment (Gk krisis) with this generation, and shall condemn (Gk katakrino) it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matt 12:41-42

Here we see clearly and explicitly that day of judgment is the time of the (second?) resurrection. The men of Nineveh, and the queen of the south "rise up" (are resurrected) in the judgment.

The implication is that the queen of the south, had she been alive when Messiah came, or had he come in her day, would have listened to him and followed him, seeing as how she came a long way to hear Solomon who was such a lesser one than Messiah. The same implication is made for the men of Nineveh, that they would have repented had Yahshua gone to them.

Clearly this day of judgment is one of accountability, and restitution with the view of recovering those who will accept correction and accept Messiah. This is clearly why the day of judgment is MORE TOLERABLE for some than others. Chorizan and Bethsaida heard Messiah preach and rejected him; Sodom and Gomorrah did not. Those in the cities which heard Messiah and refused him will be much more accountable to God in that day. The men of Nineveh repented when Jonah preached to them, how much more will they repent in the judgment when Messiah himself is the judge? The Queen of the South delighted to hear Solomon; how much more will she accept Messiah when she rises to her trial and time of testing.  Notice Peter's words in the book of Acts:

Act 3:20 and that He sends  יהושע  Messiah, pre-appointed for you,

Act 3:21 whom heaven needs to receive until the times of restoration of all matters, of which Elohim spoke through the mouth of all His set-apart prophets since of old.

These "times of the restitution of all things" refer to this day of judgment. The idea is always one of restitution, hope, and recovery.

YHWH is in the business of restitution and recovery whether a man finds salvation in this life or not.

YHWH promised Abraham:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curses thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Gen 12:3

We know that the blessing was to come through Abraham's seed, which is Messiah. Did the promise of YHWH fail? Have all families of the earth ever been blessed?  Messiah is the hope of restitution for all, even if they don't currently realize it.

At Yahshua's birth, the angels announced:

Luk 2:10 And the messenger said to them, “Do not be afraid, for look, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be to all people.

Luk 2:11 “Because there was born to you today in the city of Dawiḏ a Saviour, who is Messiah, the Master.

Has the news of the savior ever been proclaimed to "all people"? Are "good tidings of great joy" the way we present the Gospel today? Is it really "good tidings of great joy" that over 90% of the world's past and present population have never even heard that YHWH gave us a savior? Did the angels lie?

The apostle Paul answers:

1Ti 2:5 For there is one Elohim, and one Mediator between Elohim and men, the Man Messiah  יהושע,

1Ti 2:6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be witnessed in its own seasons,

Yahshua ransomed ALL. Has this ransom ever been testified to all for which it was given? Paul answers that it WILL BE testified to, but in DUE TIME. When? We answer, in the day of Judgment, the times of the restitution of all things.

To say that the ransom was given by Yahshua, accepted by the Father, but is not efficacious upon all for whom it was given is absurd. Every child of Adam was born under the death sentence. The entire race was deemed unworthy of life, and for the nearly 6000 years the tombstones have testified to the wrath of Elohim and the judgment upon sin.

Death has been, and continues to be mankind's greatest enemy and greatest fear. Messiah came to buy back what Adam lost, and give his life a ransom for ALL. In doing so he bought back life for the entire race, and hence has the just and legal right to free EVERY ONE who will turn to Him from the power of the grave.  As the apostle Paul states:

For since by man ( Adam) came death, by man (Yahshua the Messian) came also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor 15:21

Why Raise an Incorrigible?

What purpose does the resurrection of the incorrigible serve? Why would YHWH raise those who have rejected Him from all time periods—who have already died—and make them die again? Is it because He is vengeful, harsh and cruel?

YHWH has every right to avenge himself on those who despise His offer of salvation, His way of life and His Kingdom. Rom 12:19 Beloved, do not revenge yourselves, but give place to the wrath, for it has been written, “Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay,” says יהוה.” (Romans 12:19). Jude 7 compares Sodom and Gomorrah with the Lake of Fire as an example of His vengeance. Make no mistake, Yahweh is not pleased with those who reject His wonderful gifts!

Unlike man, YHWH is not vengeful in a hateful sense; He does not punish men just for the sake of it. Torture is not His way. Under the Covenant administration of death sentences, a person either lived or died, but he was not tortured. Punishment may have been brutal, but it was swift and just. The same holds true of those who merit the Lake of Fire. He will not punish them unmercifully and forever. He does "torture" us in fiery trials, tribulations and chastenings, but He does this to purify us in mercy, not in terms of eternal judgment.

Fairness is the issue: As true followers and disciples we must face dying daily, crucifying the self. YHWH holds us accountable for everything we say and do (Ecclesiastes 11:9; Matthew 12:36). WE are now facing Messiah in our judgment (II Corinthians 6:1-2; I Peter 4:17). YHWH will judge others in their order. What of those who may have rejected YHWH and are in an unpardonable condition for which they cannot seem to repent, as was Esau? Can they commit suicide or die a natural death, never to be judged? Would that be fair to the rest of us?

Undoubtedly, some would opt for a quick suicide and eternal blackness if they thought that could avoid having to reap the consequences of their evil lives. Satan and the world would love to have us believe there is no responsibility and accountability—that we are all "victims" in one way or another. This is simply not true! The Scripture says clearly that all must stand before the judgment seat ofMessiaht to answer for their lives (Romans 14:10, II Corinthians 5:10). To be fair, YHWH's justice must be applied to all in equal measure. To allow the wicked to go without punishment would not be fair to those who struggled and fought to avoid such a fate. Everyone will be held accountable, good or bad.

The resurrection of the incorrigible has real value! Abject terror of that judgment should help to keep us on the track! Life is difficult, trials are hard.  Discouragement and self-pity are often overwhelming. But we know that the second death awaits those who will not repent. The Lake of Fire is a powerful deterrent for us while we still have opportunity to overcome!

Even in the horror of having to destroy those few who will not repent and submit under any circumstances, YHWH uses their future deaths as a powerful motivation for us to remain close to Him. It is not the main reason, as YHWH is not the author of "fear religion" in an over-all sense. He draws us with love (Hosea 11:1-4), but, on the other hand, fear of Him—both awe and terror—is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

YHWH works with people in the way that will produce the best results. Jude writes: "And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (verses 22-23). Some respond to kindness, but others must be scared witless before they begin to move in the right direction.

Still others—hopefully just a few—will never respond, and these are the ones who will experience the resurrection of the incorrigible, a necessary event to fulfill Yahweh's perfect justice. Their evil, incorrigible lives, in one sense, will serve a "good" purpose by being examples for others to avoid emulating.

What they fail so miserably to realize is that the unrighteous dead need no judgment nor condemnation. As Yahweh Elohim said to Adam "For dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou go." As Messiah stated:

Joh 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only brought-forth Son of Elohim.

The judgment and sentence took place in Eden. Those who do not come to Messiah remain under it.

Once we realize that Messiah died to ransom all from the Adamic death to which we were all liable, we must also realize that all the dead must be raised.

1Co 15:22 For as all die in Aḏam, so also all shall be made alive in Messiah .

Being released from the judgment placed upon Adam and the human race, these are raised so that they might be given another judgment. In fact, they MUST be raised. Messiah bought them with his own life, and death can no longer legally hold them. This explains so clearly and so completely why those who fail to obtain salvation is this last judgment are said to perish in "the second death".

Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Rev 20:14 And the death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Yahweh gave his only begotten Son to ransom mankind from the first death (the Adamic death) which we were all subject to. If these fail to make restitution for past sins and come to Messiah in the day of judgment they will perish again in the second death; a death for which no ransom will be given, and from which no one will be released. Having counted Yahweh's ransom of little value, and having spurned the gift and grace of Yahweh, these will be punished, then utterly destroyed with no hope of return or resurrection.

Before considering the precise work and criteria of the coming day of judgment, it is important to explain a passage which seems to cause some confusion:

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones – and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them – and the lives of those who had been beheaded because of the witness they bore to  יהושע  and because of the Word of Elohim, and who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and did not receive his mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands. And they lived and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years

Rev 20:5 (and the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended)  – this is the first resurrection.

Here the indication would be that we are introduced to two resurrections. The first resurrection is obviously for a very special and specific group. If we take this passage in it's strictest, most literal sense, then we must be forced to admit that even MOST “Christians” down through the centuries will not rise in this first resurrection. How many have been beheaded? How many have not worshipped the beast—unless it is understood that the beast is the Babylonian system throughout the ages?  Caution must be used when we insist upon taking some verses literally and not others.

It isn't my intention at this point to discuss all the details concerning the first resurrection, but we are once again alerted to the fact that what we have before us is a highly symbolic passage.

When we read verse 5, we are led to assume that the majority of mankind are not alive during the thousand year reign of Messiah with his faithful followers. If this is true in the most literal sense, then we must ask ourselves how to reconcile this with Messiah's words elsewhere:

Luk 22:28 “But you are those who have remained with Me in My trials.

Luk 22:29 “And I covenant for you, as My Father covenanted for Me, a reign,

Luk 22:30 to eat and drink at My table, in My reign, and to sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Yisra’ĕl.”

Most will admit that the kingdom age is the thousand year reign of Messiah. Obviously, if any were to be among the faithful of the first resurrection, the apostles would be. We see in Revelation 20:4 that thrones and judgment are given to these just as Messiah promised the disciples.

The problem is this: If the apostles are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve tribes are not brought back to life until the thousand year reign is over, then did Yahshua (Jesus) lie? In a similar passage from Matthew, Yahshua states:

Mat 19:28 And  יהושע  said to them, “Truly I say to you, when the Son of Aḏam sits on the throne of His esteem, you who have followed Me in the rebirth, shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Yisra’ĕl.

When Yahshua spoke these words, ten of the twelve tribes were already lost and dispersed among the nations, and hence Yahshua's reference to "the regeneration". However, we have to ask: If ten tribes were lost when Yahshua spoke these words, and if only a fraction of all who have ever lived are present after Armageddon, and if the rest of the dead Israelites from past ages aren't resurrected until AFTER the thousand year reign, then what kind of kingdom and judgment did he promise the disciples? Did these by their faithfulness only earn the right to judge a mere remnant of the Jewish nation, or did Yahshua have something else in mind?

The phrase "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" seems to be problematic. In fact, if we study the history of the verse, we can see that it obviously was problematic for quite a few people.

The verse doesn't appear at all in some of our oldest Bible manuscripts such as the Syriac. In others the word "but" is omitted from the text. In still others the word "again" is omitted, and in still others, a different Greek word is used for "lived". Obviously quite a few others saw the difficulty in interpreting the verse in light of other scriptures, while still others felt that verse was spurious and didn't belong in the scriptures at all.

When we are confronted with a passage like this which would seem to defy proper exposition, it is very important that we proceed very carefully and prayerfully asking for discernment and wisdom. 

The standard answer to this potential problem given by pre-millenialists is that the thousand year reign is over those "sheep nations" which survive Armageddon and go into the thousand years where they multiply and have children. Among these would be scattered remnants of all twelve tribes which Messiah will re-gather from among the nations, even though their identity had been lost. Although in some respects this is true, this simply will not solve the problem. In fact, there is no problem. In the prophets, Yahweh has told us where these twelve tribes come from which the apostles are to rule over in the kingdom age. The real problem is not with the scriptures but in whether or not we are going to be faithful and simply believe them?  Please note carefully the following verses from Isaiah:

Isa 26:1  In that day this song is sung in the land of Yehuḏah, “We have a strong city – He sets up deliverance, walls and ramparts.

Isa 26:2 “Open the gates, let the righteous nation which guards the truth enter in.

Isa 26:3 “The one steadfast of mind You guard in perfect peace, for he trusts in You.

Isa 26:4 “Trust in יהוה  forever, for in Yah, יהוה, is a rock of ages.

Isa 26:5 “For He shall bring down those who dwell on high. He lays the exalted city low, He lays it low to the earth, He brings it down to the dust.

Isa 26:6 “A foot tramples it down – feet of the poor, footsteps of the needy.”

Isa 26:7 The path of the righteous is uprightness; O upright One, You weigh the course of the righteous

What day is the prophet here referring to? Obviously the time of the coming kingdom and the times of refreshing and regeneration which Yahshua promised. These verses clearly refer to the thousand year reign of Messiah when he sets up his kingdom on earth, and the time when the twelve apostles would judge the twelve tribes as Messiah has promised. To this most commentators agree. But as we proceed, notice what the expectations are for this kingdom age:

Isa 26:8 Also, in the path of Your right-rulings, O יהוה, we have waited for You; the longing of our being is for Your Name and for the remembrance of You.

Isa 26:9 My being longs for You in the night, also, my spirit within me seeks You earnestly. For when Your right-rulings are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness.

Isa 26:10 The wrong finds favour, yet he shall not learn righteousness; in the land of straightforwardness he acts perversely, and does not see the excellency of יהוה.

Isa 26:11 O יהוה, Your hand is high, they do not see. They see the ardour of the people and are ashamed; also, let the fire for Your adversaries consume them.

Isa 26:12 O יהוה, You establish peace for us, for You have also done all our works in us.

 Or from the KJV “…in the way of thy judgments, …for when thy judgments are in the earth….”

The prophet here foretells that the kingdom age IS THE TIME WHEN THE YAHWEH'S JUDGMENTS (OR RIGHT RULINGS) ARE IN THE EARTH. This would correspond with what Messiah promised his disciples. When He takes His kingdom, they are to be given the right to judge as well. Who was this prophecy to apply to? Who was to be ruled over and judged? Was it only to apply to the remnant which would survive Armageddon? We let the text answer:

Isa 26:15 You shall increase the nation, O יהוה, You shall increase the nation; You are esteemed; You shall expand all the borders of the land.

How does Yahweh increase the nation? How does he increase Israel to the far ends of the earth? By marriage and multiplication as some assert? Let's see:

Isa 26:16 O יהוה, in distress they shall visit You, they shall pour out a prayer when Your disciplining is upon them.

Isa 26:17 As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so shall we be before Your face, O יהוה.

Isa 26:18 We have conceived, we writhed in pain; we have given birth to wind. We have not accomplished deliverance in the earth, nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Isa 26:19 Let Your dead live, together with my dead body, let them arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for Your dew is a dew of light, and let the earth give birth to the departed spirits.

Notice the very obvious and plain reference to the resurrection in the same context as the kingdom and the judgment.

Do all that "dwell in the dust" (the dead) come forth in the first resurrection to rule and reign with Messiah? Obviously not. However here, we are clearly told that these are resurrected during the kingdom age when Messiah's judgments are in the earth. This is where the twelve tribes come from who the apostles are to judge... they are clearly resurrected during the kingdom age! If we interpret Revelation 20:5 to mean that ALL the dead who don't come up in the first resurrection remain in their graves until the thousand year kingdom age is over, then clearly either our interpretation is incorrect, or Isaiah is incorrect.

In Revelation 11 we can also see clearly that the dead come up to judgment during the kingdom age. In Revelation 11, after the sounding of the seventh trumpet, we find this announcement:

Rev 11:17 saying, “We give You thanks, O יהוה  Ěl Shaddai, the One who is and who was and who is coming, because You have taken Your great power and reigned.

Rev 11:18 “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets and to the set-apart ones, and to those who fear Your Name, small and great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

The judging of the dead is mentioned in relation to Messiah taking the kingdom. Why would this be announced here if the judgment of the dead was still a thousand years into the future? Again the evidence seems to indicate that the dead are raised during the kingdom age; the thousand year reign. In other words, the thousand year reign of Messiah with his saints IS the day of judgment.

Notice again how the apostle Paul makes this plain; that the dead are judged during Messiah's kingdom:

2Ti 4:1  In the sight of Elohim and the Master  יהושע  Messiah, who shall judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His reign, I earnestly charge you:

But how could this statement be true if the judgment does not take place until thousand years following Messiah's return? Discerning this one very important truth will unlock so much scripture.  The day of judgment does not follow the thousand year reign of Messiah.  The day of judgment IS the thousand year reign of Messiah.

CONCEALING AN OBVIOUS TRUTH?

We find this truth brought out once again in the book of Ezekiel, however in this particular passage it becomes obvious that many simply do not want to believe what the Bible so clearly states.  Consider the following:

Eze 37:12 “Therefore prophesy, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “See, O My people, I am opening your graves, and shall bring you up from your graves, and shall bring you into the land of Yisra’ĕl.

Eze 37:13 “And you shall know that I am יהוה, when I open your graves, O My people, and bring you up from your graves.

Eze 37:14 “And I shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall settle you in your own land. And you shall know that I יהוה  have spoken, and I have done it,” declares יהוה.’ ”

Most all commentaries will not take YHWH at his word. None believe that this passage is talking about a literal resurrection but instead spiritualize this passage and believe that it was fulfilled when Israel became a nation in 1948.

Yahweh says:

Eze 37:11 And He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the house of Yisra’ĕl. See, they say, ‘Our bones are dry, our expectancy has perished, and we ourselves have been cut off!’

The promise given in Ezekiel is a resurrection of "the whole house of Israel" where they are brought out of their graves, and placed back into their land. This is what the text says, and this is what Messiah meant when he promised his apostles:

in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel

 If these are resurrected during the time when Messiah is reigning on the earth with his faithful, then they simply cannot remain in their graves until the thousand years are over. Clearly an interpretation which takes the phrase "the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" in a strict literal sense is in error.

However, we're not finished yet as we can continue to mount further evidence. Continuing in Ezekiel 38 we are told of a great battle which takes place after Yahweh resurrects his people and puts them back in their land as just described in Ezekiel 37. Please take the time to read carefully the following passage:

Eze 38:1  And the word of יהוה  came to me, saying,

Eze 38:2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Mesheḵ, and Tuḇal, and prophesy against him.

Eze 38:3 “And you shall say, ‘Thus says the Master יהוה, “See, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Mesheḵ, and Tuḇal.

Eze 38:4 “And I shall turn you around, and I shall put hooks into your jaws, and shall lead you out, with all your army, horses and horsemen, clad perfectly, a great assembly with armour and shields, all of them handling swords.

Eze 38:5 “Persia, Kush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet,

Eze 38:6 “Gomer and all its bands, the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its bands, many peoples with you.

Eze 38:7 “Be ready, prepare yourself, you and all your assemblies that are assembled unto you. And you shall be a guard for them.

Eze 38:8 “After many days you shall be called up. In the latter years you shall come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Yisra’ĕl, which had been a continual waste. But they were brought out of the gentiles, and all of them shall dwell safely.

Eze 38:9 “And you shall go up, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your bands and many peoples with you.”

Eze 38:10 ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “And it shall be in that day that words arise in your heart, and you shall devise an evil plan:

Eze 38:11 “And you shall say, ‘Let me go up against a land of unwalled villages, let me go to those at rest who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,’

Eze 38:12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the gentiles, acquiring livestock and goods, who dwell in the middle of the land.

Eze 38:13 “Sheḇa, and Deḏan, and the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions shall say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to bear away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’

Eze 38:14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and you shall say to Gog, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “In that day when My people Yisra’ĕl dwell safely, would you not know?

Eze 38:15 “And you shall come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army.

Eze 38:16 “And you shall come up against My people Yisra’ĕl like a cloud, to cover the land – in the latter days it shall be. And I shall bring you against My land, in order that the gentiles know Me, when I am set apart in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”

Eze 38:17 ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “Are you the one I spoke of in former days by My servants the prophets of Yisra’ĕl, who prophesied for years in those days, to bring you against them?

Eze 38:18 “And it shall be on that day, on the day when Gog comes against the land of Yisra’ĕl,” declares the Master יהוה, “that My wrath shall come up in My face.

Eze 38:19 “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken, ‘On that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Yisra’ĕl,

Eze 38:20 so that the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping creatures that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall fall to the ground.’

Eze 38:21 “And I shall call for a sword against Gog on all My mountains,” declares the Master יהוה, “the sword of each one being against his brother.

Eze 38:22 “And I shall judge him with pestilence and blood, and rain down flooding rain and hailstones, fire and sulphur, on him and on his bands and on the many peoples who are with him.

Eze 38:23 “And I shall exalt Myself and set Myself apart, and I shall be known in the eyes of many nations. And they shall know that I am יהוה.” ’

If you read Revelation 20, we are told precisely when the events described in Ezekiel 38 take place:

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years have ended, Satan shall be released from his prison,

Rev 20:8 and he shall go out to lead the nations astray which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

Rev 20:9 And they came up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the set-apart ones and the beloved city. And fire came down from Elohim out of the heaven and consumed them.

Incredibly, most scholars seem not to believe that Revelation 20 is describing the events of Ezekiel 38! However, when we compare the two passages we see the amazing similarities:

Isn't it obvious that when John wrote in Revelation about 'Gog' and 'Magog' that the Holy Spirit intended us to go back to Ezekiel for further information about this battle?

 Almost every pre-millennial commentary teaches that Ezekiel 38 describes a coming war where Russia attacks Israel before the return of Messiah. Common sense in examining the passage should tell us that this can't be possible. Notice:

You shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

And thou shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates

In that day when my people of Israel dwells safely, shall thou not know it?

Most of the imagery in the book of Revelation is drawn from prophecy. It is nearly unthinkable that John described a battle involving Gog and Magog, giving the exact same details given in Ezekiel if in fact these don't describe the same event. Through a simple comparison of scripture and sound reasonable logic they simply must refer to the same event.

Once we see that the events described in Ezekiel 37 and 38 are describing events within and immediately following the thousand year reign of Messiah, a huge piece of the puzzle involving the judgment falls into place. Let's recount briefly what we have ascertained so far:

1.      Yahshua promised the twelve that "in the regeneration", or during the kingdom age, they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
 

2.      Isaiah tells us exactly where the twelve tribes come from; that those who "dwell in the dust" shall rise during a time when  Yahweh's "judgments are in the earth."
 

3.      Ezekiel also tells us of the same. Yahweh raises the whole house of Israel and puts them back in their land to dwell peaceably and safely during the thousand year reign of Messiah with his saints.
 

4.      Ezekiel and Revelation tell of a major revolt at the end of the thousand year reign in which the wicked are gathered together against those dwelling safely in Israel.

Who are those who revolt? Who are these who John says "are as the sand of the sea", and of whom Ezekiel says "come up as a cloud to cover the land"?

The answer is quite simple. Remember the words of Yahshua:

The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.  The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Not only are the people of Judah raised during the judgment (the thousand year reign), but ALL are raised during this time. Notice that here Yahshua was talking to the Judeans and tells them that the men of Nineveh will rise WITH THEM in the judgment. Ezekiel told us when the people of Judah would be raised... during the thousand year reign of Messiah, before the battle of Gog and Magog. There is no way to escape the unavoidable conclusion;

To many, this idea that all the millions of dead throughout the ages will be raised during the reign of Messiah and his faithful followers will come as a new idea. The scriptures are however abundantly clear if we will simply search out the truth, then be faithful to believe what we read. We remember earlier that Messiah promised that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for those cities who rejected his preaching.

What is the proper and true meaning of these things?  Incredibly, the very answer to this question is given in an amazing Tanakh prophecy, but oddly, it is never taught in Churches, and is strangely absent from our theology books. The prophecy can be found in Ezekiel chapter 16.

In this prophecy, Yahweh is rebuking Israel for their idolatry despite the immense favor they had been shown. He relates how he took them when they were nothing, clothed them, fed them, nurtured them, and how they grew to be a mighty nation. But in spite of all this, they turned their backs and went and worshiped idols. Yahweh tells of the punishment which was to befall them because they had forsaken Him:

Eze 16:36 ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “Because your copper was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with the idols of your abominations, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,

Eze 16:37 therefore, see, I am gathering all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, with all those you hated. And I shall gather them from all around against you and shall uncover your nakedness to them, and they shall see all your nakedness.

Eze 16:38 “And I shall judge you with judgments of adulteresses and shedders of blood. And I shall bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy.

Eze 16:39 “And I shall give you into their hand, and they shall throw your arched place down, and they shall break down your high places. And they shall strip you of your garments, and they shall take your splendid adornments, and leave you naked and bare.

Eze 16:40 “And they shall bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords,

Eze 16:41 and burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you before the eyes of many women. And I shall make you stop whoring, and no longer give gifts.

Then the prophecy goes on to relate the sins of Sodom and Samaria with whom Israel had "played the harlot". However, an amazing thing happens. Yahweh doesn't condemn these cities the way some might expect. Notice:

Eze 16:48 “As I live,” declares the Master יהוה, “neither your sister Seḏom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.

Eze 16:49 “See, this was the crookedness of your sister Seḏom: She and her daughter had pride, sufficiency of bread, and unconcerned ease. And she did not help the poor and needy.

Eze 16:50 “And they were haughty and did abomination before Me, and I took them away when I saw it.

Eze 16:51 “And Shomeron did not commit half of your sins, but you have increased your abominations more than they, and by all the abominations which you have done you made your sisters seem righteous!

Eze 16:52 “You also, who pleaded for your sisters, bear your own shame, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs. They are more righteous than you. So be ashamed too, and bear your own shame, because you have made your sisters seem righteous.

As far as Yahweh was concerned, Sodom and Samaria were more righteous than Israel; they hadn't even committed HALF of what the nation of Judah had done! How could this be? Because the Israelites were much more accountable to Yahweh having been shown so much more favor than the wicked nations around them. Notice carefully how this ties right in with Messiah's words about it being more tolerable in the day of judgment for some than for others who had rejected his preaching. The principle is the same in both instances.  The more light a nation had been shown, the more accountable they were to Messiah in the day of judgment. 

After recounting Israel's sins, and stating that in His view Sodom and Samaria were more righteous, what does Yahweh say the outcome will be? Does he say that these people of Judah must suffer more than Sodom and Samaria? Are we prepared to believe what Yahweh says about the fate of these nations, even if it goes against what we have been taught to believe? 

Let’s read Ezekiel 16:53-55.

When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:  That you may bear your own shame, and may be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that you art a comfort unto them.  When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then you and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. Ezek 16:53-55

Let the Scriptures speak for themself: When the Israelites and those of the house of Judah are re-gathered into their land, Yahweh will also bring the Sodomites and those of Samaria back into their lands surrounding them. Why does Yahweh do this? So that Israel can see and bear their shame, in that they judged their surrounding nations when they themselves had sinned even worse. But more still, that they may be ashamed when they are made a COMFORT to Sodom and Samaria. Look at the passage! That is what YOUR Bible says! The NASV is even clearer:

...in order that you may bear your humiliation, and feel ashamed for all that you have done when you become a consolation to them. Ezek 16:54

This is precisely why it is MORE TOLERABLE for Sodom in the day of judgment than for those who rejected Messiah. The Israelites felt they were so much better off simply because they were Yahweh’s chosen people, but in rejecting Messiah, they had sinned far worse than Sodom ever had. This passage from Ezekiel is clearly what Messiah had in mind and alluded to when he spoke those words. Why are these things never taught and preached? The entire teaching has absolutely no bearing on the pagan doctrine of hell, but rather on who will have an easier time when Messiah gathers all nations before him when he comes and sets up His kingdom. But in the case of both the wicked Israelites, and the Sodomites, the re-gathering of them back into their lands is for a purpose, and it's clearly one of restitution.

Yahweh is absolutely just.  While many in our day believe that Israel will be restored during Yahshua's kingdom, they simply cannot fathom that Yahweh would restore Sodom.  However the reasoning here displays the absolute justice of Yahweh.  If Yahweh is to restore Israel then could he do less for those nations which were so much less accountable? 

It seems as though the commentaries are simply in a quandary about what to do with this passage. The Knowledge Bible Commentary says:

Ezekiel was speaking of the national restoration of these cities (Sodom and Samaria) in the millennium. Evidently Sodom will be rebuilt at this time. (vol. 1 pg. 1258)

Notice how they attempt to pull off the same trick they use in Ezekiel 38. They insist that the passage isn't really referring to those Sodomites Yahweh destroyed, but only a "national restoration".  

However, there are no nationally identifiable Sodomites alive now, nor have there been since Yahweh destroyed those cities! How do you "bring again the captivity" of a nation of people that are all dead unless by resurrection? The people of Sodom are not scattered as captives among the nations, they are all dead! The only way Yahweh can bring them from captivity is in the resurrection; bringing them from the captivity of death to which all generations have gone.

What kind of "national restoration" would you have without one single citizen either from that nation, or even descended from that nation?! Doing so would be nothing more than a meaningless show.

The Scriptures are clear. Theses nations are resurrected WITH THE ISRAELITES IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

Sodom has been a wasteland since the day Yahweh destroyed it, and a good portion of where it once was is thought to be under the sea. The prophecy remains for a future time, the restitution of all things, and the Day of Judgment.
 

Earlier we considered that Revelation 20:5 seemed to go contrary to what we believed other passages clearly teach:

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. Rev 20:5

Having carefully examined the unified testimony of Messiah and the prophets concerning the timing of the judgment, it is nearly impossible to take this statement in the strictest literal sense; that the dead remain in their graves until after the thousand years. The fact that Ezekiel clearly states that the whole house of Israel are raised before the battle of Gog and Magog which closes the thousand year reign of Messiah demands this.

So what are we to do with the passage? Many sincere Bible students, with good reason, feel that the passage is spurious, and therefore do not regard it as part of inspired scripture. It's commonly argued that the statement appears to be the comment that someone wrote into the text, and was later copied in by a scribe. In fact, if we read the context in which it appears, but remove the phrase, the passage seems to make more sense:

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones – and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them – and the lives of those who had been beheaded because of the witness they bore to  יהושע  and because of the Word of Elohim, and who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and did not receive his mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands. And they lived and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years

Rev 20:5– this is the first resurrection.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and set-apart is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second death possesses no authority over these, but they shall be priests of Elohim and of Messiah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

When we read Revelation 20 in this way, we see that instead of portraying a sequence of events in chronological order (the binding of Satan, the first resurrection, the thousand year reign, the battle of Gog and Magog, the raising of the "rest of the dead" and lastly the great white throne judgment) we have instead one grand picture of the judgment, but from two different views.

In other words, John first gives details of this time: A time when Satan is bound so as not to deceive the nations. A time when Messiah and the faithful reign. A time when the tribe of Judah will dwell in "the beloved city". But he also tells of the great trial and test which closes it; a time when Satan is released to go forth and deceive the nations, and their ultimate doom.

After this, John gives a second picture of the judgment from the perspective of heaven. A time when all the dead are raised to be judged according to their works, and a time which separates those who ultimately will be found written in the book of life, and those who don't. Both pictures refer to the same event, a method which is used frequently throughout the book of Revelation.

Remember Yahshua's words:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:

If the Great White Throne isn't the "throne of his glory", then where in Revelation is the "throne of his glory" mentioned? Or isn't it mentioned at all? Also, we might ask, “What color is Messiah’s throne during the thousand year reign?  Certainly we would conclude that it is indeed white at that time???

Some object by saying that the great white throne judgment cannot take place on earth, because "heaven and earth have fled away". We mustn't forget that we're reading highly symbolic and apocalyptic language. In response to this, a similar question could be asked: If the Great White Throne Judgment doesn't take place on earth, and it doesn't take place in the heavens, then where does it take place? It can't take place floating in space. Outer space is "the heavens".

A logical explanation will come, as always, from comparing scripture with scripture. Consider from Isaiah:

Isa 65:17 “For look, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to heart.

Isa 65:18 “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for look, I create Yerushalayim a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

Isa 65:19 “And I shall rejoice in Yerushalayim, and shall joy in My people, and let the voice of weeping no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

Isa 65:20 “No more is an infant from there going to live but a few days, nor an old man who does not complete his days, for the youth dies one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be lightly esteemed.

When is YHWH seen creating the new heavens and the new earth? What time does the later portion of the above passage describe? These words clearly point to the thousand year reign of Messiah as most scholars would agree. But notice, during this time Yahweh is creating the new heavens and the new earth. The symbolism involved here is beautiful. At the beginning of the thousand year reign the current heavens and earth flee away, not literally, but in the sense that the old order of the heavens under satanic control, and the old order of the earth under the rebellious control of our earth's leaders are done away with, and no place is found for them. Satan who had control of the heavens is bound for a thousand years, and the nations are ruled "with a rod of iron". In this way the 'heavens' and the 'earth' 'flee away'.  The time of the judgment is the time when the new heavens (Yahweh's Government) and the new earth (under control of the nation of Israel) are created. The time of the judgment, or the thousand year reign is the time when the old heavens and the old earth do indeed flee away, but they will not be fully done away with, or the new fully established until Messiah finishes his reign.

Notice:

Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.

The new heavens and the new earth are seen after the last one not found written in the book of life is destroyed. We read before the judgment that heaven and earth "flee away", and then after the judgment that they have "passed away". Notice how perfectly this corresponds with Isaiah:

Isa 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make stand before Me,” declares יהוה, “so your seed and your name shall stand.

Isa 66:23 “And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” declares יהוה.

Isa 66:24 “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, and their fire not be quenched. And they shall be repulsive to all flesh!”

The new heavens and the new earth are established by the final and complete destruction of the wicked. Any reasonable person should be able to see that the literal earth and heaven can't be meant; how else does all flesh come and worship from "one new moon to another", or "look upon the carcasses of those who transgressed against me"?

Also notice what Paul says:

1Co 15:25 For He has to reign until He has put all enemies under His feet.

1Co 15:26 The last enemy to be brought to naught is death.

A bit of simple logic and reasoning will prove that Messiah's thousand year reign cannot end before the great white throne judgment. Death isn't cast into the lake of fire until the end of the great white throne judgment. Paul says, "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death". The work of Messiah's reign is to put down all enemies until the old heavens and the old earth have passed away, and the new ones established when the last enemy death is destroyed.

So we see that this "great white throne judgment" is another picture of the same information John gives us earlier in Revelation 20, but in more symbolic language. Simply stated, the great white throne judgment" IS the thousand year reign of Messiah on earth with his saints.

As stated earlier, some feel that removing the phrase "but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" is justified. Some, however do not feel comfortable in saying that it's not supposed to be in the Bible. Given the stern warnings not to add or take away from the book, we will let someone else bear the burden if this is in fact what has been done.

Because of this, it's important to note that the phrase in no way contradicts anything we have learned elsewhere, unless it's taken in it's strictest most literal sense, and this is something which cannot be done in many places throughout the book of Revelation, as almost everyone should agree.

In John 5 Messiah stated:

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29

Here we see the antithesis between those in the first and second resurrection. Those in the first come forth to life. What life did they come forth to?

Rev 20:6 Blessed and set-apart is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second death possesses no authority over these, but they shall be priests of Elohim and of Messiah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

When these come forth, they come forth immortal. They cannot die a second time, and as such the "second death" has no power over them.

This is not the case with the second group who come up into judgment. Although they are physically raised during the thousand years, they cannot be said to have life, or have fully revived because they are still subject to the second death and remain under the death sentence pending judgment. In this respect they cannot be said to "live" or have fully revived until the thousand years are finished when their trial and judgment are completed. In fact the Greek word used for "lived" is anazao, and literally means to recover life, or revive.

Yahshua said:

Joh 5:25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Elohim. And those having heard shall live.

Joh 5:26 “For as the Father possesses life in Himself, so He gave also to the Son to possess life in Himself,

Joh 5:27 and He has given Him authority also to do judgment, because He is the Son of Aḏam.

Who are the dead Messiah was referring to, who would hear his voice in the future and live? Did he mean those in the graves? No, he goes on to say:

Joh 5:28 “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the tombs shall hear His voice,

Joh 5:29 and shall come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have practised evil matters, to a resurrection of judgment.

When all who are in the graves here the voice of Messiah and come out, those who do not come forth to life in the first resurrection are still reckoned as dead even though they come forth physically during the thousand year reign of Messiah. In that time, the "dead" who hear his voice will live. They will be raised back to perfection and instructed in righteousness during the thousand year reign of Messiah.
 

Returning to the parable of the sheep and the goats, we see what criteria Messiah uses as the basis for judgment:

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Master, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

The pre-millennialists are correct in discerning that this judgment has something to do with the way Messiah's "brethren" are treated. However instead of being a picture of how men treat the Jews in the tribulation, what we actually see here is a judgment based on how they are treated during the thousand year reign, when Israel and all nations have been resurrected.

During this time, Israel is made head of the nations. These are truly Messiah's brethren which are referred to in the passage. Currently the Jews have been blinded and the Gentiles been shown favor to provoke them to jealousy. The Jews have undergone centuries of vicious persecutions at the hands of the gentile nations. Isaiah tells of the time coming when this will cease:

Isa 40:1  “Comfort, comfort My people!” says your Elohim.

Isa 40:2 “Speak to the heart of Yerushalayim, and cry out to her, that her hard service  is completed, that her crookedness is pardoned, that she has received from the hand of יהוה  double for all her sins.”

Isa 40:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of יהוה ; make straight in the desert a highway for our Elohim.

Isa 40:4 “Let every valley be raised, and every mountain and hill made low. And the steep ground shall become level, and the rough places smooth.

Isa 40:5 “And the esteem of יהוה  shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see it. For the mouth of יהוה  has spoken.”

But during the "times of the restitution of all things" Israel is restored to be the head of all the nations. The Gentile nations will be forced to submit to the authority of Israel and the Kingdom of Messiah on Earth. Those who do, who will learn instruction, will be granted everlasting life at the end of the judgment. Those who do so grudgingly out of obligation, or not at all will die the second death, or be carried away in Satan's revolt at the end of the thousand years.

The images in the parable of the treatment of the brethren; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me, clearly refer to the heart attitude of those being judged toward Messiah's brethren.

Notice how Isaiah describes those during this coming age:

Isa 26:8 Also, in the path of Your right-rulings, O יהוה, we have waited for You; the longing of our being is for Your Name and for the remembrance of You.

Isa 26:9 My being longs for You in the night, also, my spirit within me seeks You earnestly. For when Your right-rulings are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness.

Isa 26:10 The wrong finds favour, yet he shall not learn righteousness; in the land of straightforwardness he acts perversely, and does not see the excellency of יהוה.

Isa 26:11 O יהוה, Your hand is high, they do not see. They see the ardour of the people and are ashamed; also, let the fire for Your adversaries consume them.

The KJV says:: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.  Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of YHWH.  This passage is so clear in marking the difference in the heart and attitude of those in the judgment. During that time, the inhabitants of the world "learn righteousness". But the wicked refuse to see even though they have been shown favor. Notice that they refuse to see, and let envy devour them. How much clearer our Master's words become:

Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Zechariah tells of the fate which will befall those nations which refuse to submit to the rule of Messiah's kingdom:

Zec 14:17 And it shall be, that if anyone of the clans of the earth does not come up to Yerushalayim to bow himself to the Sovereign, יהוה  of hosts, on them there is to be no rain.

Zec 14:18 And if the clan of Mitsrayim does not come up and enter in, then there is no rain. On them is the plague with which יהוה  plagues the gentiles who do not come up to observe the Festival of Booths.

Zec 14:19 This is the punishment of Mitsrayim and the punishment of all the gentiles that do not come up to observe the Festival of Booths.

Notice again here how Jerusalem and Israel are made the criteria for judgment. The heart attitude of the gentiles will be manifested in their treatment of them, and whether or not they will go up to Jerusalem to worship.

Mic 4:1  And in the latter days it shall be that the mountain of the House of יהוה  is established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. And peoples shall flow to it.

Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה, to the House of the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths. For out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the word of יהוה  from Yerushalayim.”

How can any deny that the day of judgment is for instructing the nations in righteousness? As Messiah said, all nations would be gathered before him, and he would separate them. HOW? By which ones will learn instruction and which ones won't. The humble who will learn and follow the shepherd will prove to be "sheep", whereas the stubborn who refuse instruction will prove to be "goats".

Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf be opened.

Isa 35:6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing, because waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

Isa 35:7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water – in the home for jackals, where each lay, grass with reeds and rushes.

Isa 35:8 And there shall be a highway, and a way, and it shall be called “The Way of Set-apartness.” The unclean does not pass over it, but it is for those who walk the way, and no fools wander on it.

Isa 35:9 No lion is there, nor any ravenous beast go up on it, it is not found there. But the redeemed shall walk there.

Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of יהוה  shall return and enter Tsiyon with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah gives us a beautiful picture of the coming kingdom. Notice the "highway" in verse eight. Who is the highway for?

the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein—as it appears in some translations.

It is for the wayfaring, those millions of the human race who lost their way, or never had a chance to hear of the one name given among men whereby they must be saved. Notice that even though the wayfaring ARE FOOLS, they will not err. Why? Because Satan is bound so as to not deceive the nations, and Messiah will not cast out anyone who comes to him humbly for mercy.  We are also told of the outcome of this time:

And the ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The scriptures pertaining to this time with Israel as the head of the nations, and hope held out to the Gentiles are so numerous that it's incredible we rarely ever hear them preached. Notice what Peter said:

Act 3:20 and that He sends  יהושע  Messiah, pre-appointed for you,

Act 3:21 whom heaven needs to receive until the times of restoration of all matters, of which Elohim spoke through the mouth of all His set-apart prophets since of old.

 These times of restitution were the subject of ALL the prophets, why have most never heard these things? Why is it that most who call themselves Christians couldn't quote one verse pertaining to these times if their life depended on it?

Isa 60:1  “Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the esteem of יהוה  has risen upon you.

Isa 60:2 “For look, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. But יהוה  arises over you, and His esteem is seen upon you.

Isa 60:3 “And the gentiles shall come to your light, and sovereigns to the brightness of your rising.

Isa 60:4 “Lift up your eyes all around and see: all of them have gathered, they have come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are supported on the side.

Isa 60:5 “Then you shall see and be bright, and your heart shall throb and swell, for the wealth of the sea is turned to you, the riches of the gentiles come to you.

Isa 60:6 “A stream of camels cover your land, the dromedaries of Miḏyan and Ěphah; all those from Sheḇa come, bearing gold and incense, and proclaiming the praises of יהוה.

Isa 60:7 “All the flocks of Qĕḏar are gathered to you, the rams of Neḇayoth serve you; they come up for acceptance on My altar, and I embellish My esteemed House.

Isa 60:8 “Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

Isa 60:9 “Because the coastlands wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, to the Name of יהוה  your Elohim, and to the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, because He has adorned you.

Isa 60:10 “And the sons of foreigners shall build your walls, and their sovereigns serve you. For in My wrath I have smitten you, but in My delight I shall have compassion on you.

Isa 60:11 “And your gates shall be open continually, they are not shut day or night, to bring to you the wealth of the gentiles, and their sovereigns in procession.

Isa 60:12 “For the nation and the reign that do not serve you shall perish, and those gentiles shall be utterly laid waste.  

How much clearer can it be? According to His promises, Yahweh makes Israel the head of the nations. But more than this, he makes them the criteria for judgment among the gentiles.

Isa 66:10 “Rejoice with Yerushalayim, and be glad with her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn for her;

Isa 66:11 so that you feed, and shall be satisfied with the breast of her comforts, so that you drink deeply, and shall delight yourselves in her overflowing esteem.”

Isa 66:12 For thus said יהוה, “See, I am extending peace to her like a river, and the esteem of the gentiles like a flowing stream. And you shall feed; you shall be carried on the side, and be fondled on her knees.

Isa 66:13 “As one whom his mother comforts, so I comfort you. And in Yerushalayim you are comforted.”

Isa 66:14 “And you shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones flourish as tender grass. And the hand of יהוה  shall be known to His servants, and His displeasure to His enemies.

 It is difficult to imagine that anyone would resist Yahweh's grace after being shown such favor, but unfortunately we are told that some will. As Yahshua said, it will be very difficult for some in the day of judgment. As he instructed:

Luk 6:24 “But woe to you who are rich, because you are receiving your comfort.

Luk 6:25 “Woe to you who have been filled, because you shall hunger. Woe to you who are laughing now, because you shall mourn and weep.

The judgment is the great leveler of all mankind. The more wrath a man heaps to himself in this lifetime, the more difficult it will be for him in the day of judgment when he is called upon to give an account of every idle word ever spoken. The more gain and wealth people have acquired in this lifetime, the harder it will be for them in that day when they are humbled. Messiah stated:

Mat 19:24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the reign of Elohim.”

Mar 4:22 “For whatever is hidden shall be revealed, and whatever has been kept secret, shall come to light.

We can see how this will be very, very difficult for some. Though the same opportunity is held out to all, imagine what it will be like for those through the ages who have hated and persecuted the Jews. Imagine how difficult it will be for those who heard Yahshua preach and yet rejected him. Imagine how difficult for those who have spent their life living only for selfish gain and pleasure.  Some will simply not wish to be subject to Messiah's rule and kingdom. To them, the judgment is a fire which will consume them. According to Isaiah some will die:

Isa 65:20 “No more is an infant from there going to live but a few days, nor an old man who does not complete his days, for the youth dies one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be lightly esteemed.

The rest of the wicked will be deceived by Satan in the last final test of mankind when he is released to go forth and deceive the nations. At the end of the thousand years Satan is released. His release will serve to manifest the true heart attitude of those who are rebellious against Yahweh and his kingdom after being ransomed from death and shown such favor:

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years have ended, Satan shall be released from his prison,

Rev 20:8 and he shall go out to lead the nations astray which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

Rev 20:9 And they came up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the set-apart ones and the beloved city. And fire came down from Elohim out of the heaven and consumed them.

After this, all the wicked will have been destroyed. Having died a second time (the second death) no ransom will be given for these, and they will have no hope for a future resurrection. It is by these events that the prophecy of Revelation 20:15 is fulfilled:

Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

How do we know that this isn't a literal lake of fire following the judgment? How do we know that the last great judgment IS the thousand year reign of Messiah and not an event following it?  Isaiah prophesies of the same events up until the new heavens and the new earth are established:  As we noted earlier:

Isa 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make stand before Me,” declares יהוה, “so your seed and your name shall stand.

Isa 66:23 “And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” declares יהוה.

Isa 66:24 “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, and their fire not be quenched. And they shall be repulsive to all flesh!”

The new heavens and earth are established at the slaying of the wicked at the end of the judgment. Notice that the same reference to fire for the wicked is made in all references to the final destruction of the wicked:

Mat 25:41 “He shall then also say to those on the left hand, ‘Go away from Me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his messengers –

Eze 38:22 “And I shall judge him with pestilence and blood, and rain down flooding rain and hailstones, fire and sulphur, on him and on his bands and on the many peoples who are with him.

Rev 20:9 And they came up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the set-apart ones and the beloved city. And fire came down from Elohim out of the heaven and consumed them.

Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

All these references to fire refer to the same thing, the destruction of the wicked either during the judgment, or when the remainder of the wicked perish in the last great battle.

Please notice that the wicked are DESTROYED, and that these passages have nothing to do with immortal souls burning forever in hellfire. Isaiah makes it perfectly clear that the fire and the worms feed on corpses not on immortal souls. The unquenchable fire, and the lake of fire indicate that the final condition of the wicked is permanent, and one from which they will not be recovered. As we learn elsewhere:

Mal 4:1  “For look, the day shall come, burning like a furnace, and all the proud, and every wrongdoer shall be stubble. And the day that shall come shall burn them up,” said יהוה  of hosts, “which leaves to them neither root nor branch.

Mal 4:2 “But to you who fear My Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. And you shall go out and leap for joy like calves from the stall.

Mal 4:3 “And you shall trample the wrongdoers, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” said יהוה  of hosts.

What is most important to remember, is that all that perish in final judgment do so willingly, knowing what they are doing. All will be given a chance to repent and make restitution. No one who comes to Messiah and humbly asks for forgiveness and mercy will be cast out:

Eze 18:20 “The being who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the crookedness of the father, nor the father bear the crookedness of the son. The righteousness of the righteous is upon himself, and the wrongness of the wrong is upon himself.

Eze 18:21 “But the wrong, if he turns from all his sins which he has done, and he shall guard all My laws, and shall do right-ruling and righteousness, he shall certainly live, he shall not die.

Eze 18:22 “All the transgressions which he has done shall not be remembered against him – in his righteousness that he has done, he shall live.

Eze 18:23 “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wrong?” declares the Master יהוה. “Is it not that he should turn from his ways, and live?

Mat 12:31 “Because of this I say to you, all sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven men.

Mat 12:32 “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Aḏam, it shall be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Set-apart Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

"The Unpardonable Sin" has confused and troubled many sincere students of God's Word. A discussion of it is very important to our study of the judgment because of the soberness of Yahshua's warning.

Someone will ask: Are there any in this life who are so wicked as to not merit a second chance? Given Yahshua's clear warning in Matthew 12:31-32, we must answer, yes.

First of all, notice how misunderstood this passage is.  Notice the reference to sin being forgiven in the world to come. Have you ever heard anyone explain to you what that meant? Only a proper understanding of the future judgment makes sense out of the passage.

Some men will die in their sins. As Yahshua said:

Joh 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you shall die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.”

As true followers of Messiah, we know that when we accepted Messiah as our savior, YHWH cleansed us from our sins based on the merit of Messiah's sacrifice on our behalf, and that this same sacrifice continually cleanses us as we daily confess our sins to (YHWH) who is faithful and just to forgive us. True followers do not die in their sins. This however is not the case for the majority of mankind.  Notice the words of the apostle Paul:

1Ti 5:24 The sins of some men are obvious, leading on to judgment, but those of some men follow later.

For the true believers and follower of Messiah, their sins are already judged, confessed and forgiven. For this reason, a true believer and follower who is faithful in confessing his sins and abiding in faith will not come into judgment with the world. True believers, we stand before the throne of Yahshua in this life.

Joh 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me possesses everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

1Pe 4:17 Because it is time for judgment to begin from the House of Elohim. And if firstly from us, what is the end of those who do not obey the Good News of Elohim? 

This however is not the case for the majority of mankind. For the majority, their sins "follow after" into judgment. They come up into a "resurrection of judgment". We have seen that this time is not one of condemnation, but of restitution. Because faith is not needed or required in that day (because Messiah and his kingdom are present) this restitution must be made by works and this is brought out exactly in the parable of the sheep and goats. Do we know what the exact nature of these works will be? We are not told specifically. What we are told is that it will definitely be more tolerable for some than for others in that day, based on the amount of sin they committed in this life, as well as the amount of light they rejected. Every idle word a man speaks will need to be accounted for in that day.

The good news is that Messiah says "all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men". It can not only be forgiven in this world, but also in the world to come. Have you ever thought about that? In the world to come, the thousand year reign of Messiah, there will still be sin present in the world. Why? Because the majority of mankind will awaken in their sins the same way they died. Only by repentance, restitution, and instruction in righteousness will these eventually be brought back to eternal life. But Yahshua is clear; all manner of sin and blasphemy CAN be forgiven, not only in this world, but in the world to come.

There is however one particular sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which Yahshua says will NEVER be forgiven, not now, nor in the day of judgment. Before considering what this sin might be, let's be clear about what it isn't.

It clearly doesn't refer to the masses of humanity, who although totally heathen, have never heard the gospel, and sin in ignorance. Elohim himself said that the people of Sodom were more righteous than the Israelites who sinned even though they had been given such great light, and shown such favor. Even the apostle Paul who murdered true followers of THE WAY and blasphemed against Yahweh not only found forgiveness, but became perhaps the greatest promoter of the gospel the world has ever known:

1Ti 1:12 And I thank Messiah  יהושע  our Master who empowered me, because He counted me trustworthy, putting me into service,

1Ti 1:13 me, although I was formerly a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an insulter. But compassion was shown me because being ignorant I did it in unbelief.

1Ti 1:14 And the favour of our Master was exceedingly increased, with belief and love which are in Messiah  יהושע.

Those who sin ignorantly in unbelief cannot commit the unpardonable sin.

Neither does "the unpardonable sin" refer to any sin a truly called child of YHWH could ever commit. Those whom YHWH calls in this life are given the Holy Spirit. This Spirit brings about the "new creature" in the life of the believer. The believer is made capable of serving YHWH, having fellowship with YHWH, and running the race which Yahweh has set before him. Without the Spirit, man is capable of none of this. As Paul said:

Rom 8:7 Because the mind of the flesh is enmity towards Elohim, for it does not subject itself to the Torah of Elohim, neither indeed is it able,

The problem is this. Even though the Spirit has made the man capable of serving Yahweh, and has imparted to him the tools necessary to serve Yahweh, the Spirit will force no man to do anything.

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah  יהושע  unto good works, which Elohim prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Yahweh has created the true believer "unto good works" that he prepared that they SHOULD walk in them. Yahweh however will force no man to walk in them. Time and again Paul warns the true believer against using their liberty as a license to sin. This very issue has been the crux of the long standing debate over "Eternal Security". Can a child of Yahweh once saved lose that salvation? Strangely, the answer to this question proves to be both yes and no.

Mat 25:24 “And the one who had received the one talent also came and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed,

Mat 25:25 and being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

Mat 25:26 “And his master answering, 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.

Mat 25:27 ‘Then you should have put my silver with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

Mat 25:28 ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to him who possesses ten talents.

Mat 25:29 ‘For to everyone who possesses, more shall be given, and he shall have overflowingly; but from him who does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away.

Mat 25:30 ‘And throw the worthless servant out into the outer darkness – there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Here we have the case of the "unprofitable servant" who was unfaithful with his master's money. Some say that the unprofitable servant committed the unpardonable sin and lost his salvation. Others say that he was never saved in the first place? What's the truth?

Many believe that the unprofitable servant is lost because of the last verse: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We have been told for so long that the "outer darkness" and the "weeping and gnashing" of teeth occur in "hell", that it's sometimes difficult to see the truth. But if we compare this with another passage, we'll see that neither of these phrases are a reference to hell at all.

Mat 22:1  And  יהושע  responded and spoke to them again by parables and said,

Mat 22:2 “The reign of the heavens is like a man, a sovereign, who made a wedding feast for his son,

Mat 22:3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast. But they would not come.

Mat 22:4 “Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Say to those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle are slaughtered, and all is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’

Mat 22:5 “But they disregarded it and went their way – this one to his field, that one to his trade.

Mat 22:6 “And the rest, having seized his servants, insulted and killed them.

Mat 22:7 “But when the sovereign heard, he was wroth, and sent out his soldiers, destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire.

Mat 22:8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast, indeed, is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

Mat 22:9 ‘Therefore go into the street corners, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding feast.’

Mat 22:10 “And those servants went out into the street corners and gathered all whom they found, both wicked and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Mat 22:11 “And when the sovereign came in to view the guests, he saw there a man who had not put on a wedding garment,

Mat 22:12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not having a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

Mat 22:13 “Then the sovereign said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him out into the outer darkness – there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This parable refers to the nation of Israel as is clear from the context. Just before this Yahshua had told the Pharisees that the kingdom would be taken from them and given to a nation producing fruits. The meaning of the parable is quite simple. Yahshua came to his own nation, but they rejected him. These were bidden to come to the wedding (to obtain the kingdom) by all the prophets whom Yahweh had sent them. But they didn't listen. Instead they made light of it and killed the prophets.

In 70 AD the Roman army came and destroyed Jerusalem as foretold in the parable. "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city". In the mean time the kingdom was given to the Gentiles who believed Yahshua's message and submitted to his righteousness; they put on the wedding garment, so to speak.

The last part of the parable refers to those Jews who felt that they could still be part of the kingdom without submitting to Messiah's righteousness. Or as Paul put it:

Rom 10:1  Truly brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to Elohim for Yisra’ĕl is for deliverance.

Rom 10:2 For I bear them witness that they have an ardour for Elohim, but not according to knowledge.

Rom 10:3 For not knowing the righteousness of Elohim, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of Elohim.

Yahshua says that these servants were to be "bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness". Did this mean hell? Absolutely not! The Jewish nation WAS cast into outer darkness. The kingdom was taken from them and given to the gentiles. They were scattered, their cities destroyed and their land given to others. They were powerless to stop this, as Yahweh had decreed it. As a result, the Yahudi people have undergone centuries of horrible persecutions at the hands on the gentile nations. Has there been weeping and gnashing of teeth? Absolutely. This phrase always refers to a condition that someone finds themselves in after realizing the height from which they have fallen, and the tremendous opportunities they have missed. See the article Lazarus and the Rich Man.  Even to this day, the Jewish people lament the destruction of their beloved temple and city. How important it is that we rightly divide the word, and not make assumptions based on what we have been taught.

Now, returning to the "unprofitable servant" we see that he also is cast into "outer darkness" and experiences "weeping and gnashing of teeth". Applying what we know now, this would mean that he finds himself in a condition away from a great purpose for which he was originally called, and weeps bitterly when he realizes the height from which he fell and the opportunities which he missed. To what could this be referring?

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of Elohim. Gal 5:19-21

True Believer or not, Paul tells the Galatians that those who continue in sin will by no means inherit the kingdom. Once again, this is not to be confused with salvation. What is the inheritance which was promised?

It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 2 Tim 2:11-12

True Believers are called upon to OBTAIN the kingdom. That is, to inherit the right to rule, reign, and judge mankind when Messiah comes in his glory to set up his kingdom. Millions of professing Christians have been deceived into believing that this is part of salvation. They take for granted that just because they are "saved" YHWH will give them the right to reign with him. NO WHERE DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY SUCH A THING!  This is not the place for a discussion on the subject of “being saved” but notice the following:

And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: Rev 2:26

Heb 3:5 And Mosheh indeed was trustworthy in all His house as a servant, for a witness of what would be spoken later,

Heb 3:6 but Messiah as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the boldness and the boasting of the expectation firm to the end.


 

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of Elohim,

Rom 8:17 and if children, also heirs – truly heirs of Elohim, and co-heirs with Messiah, if indeed we suffer with Him, in order that we also be exalted together.

Rom 11:22 See then the kindness and sharpness of Elohim: on those who fell sharpness, but toward you kindness, if you continue in His kindness, otherwise you also shall be cut off.

For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Gal 6:8-9

YHWH never called any man so they could rest on their laurels, sit in front of the television and pat themselves on the back. YHWH calls people in this age to obtain a kingdom where they will rule and reign with him. Whereas the scriptures say that the " Rom 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of Elohim are not to be repented of,", clearly the prize is conditional. The prize is not salvation, but to inherit that kingdom; the right to rule and to reign with Messiah.

If a true believer refuses to use the gifts and talents YHWH has given them, and refuses to develop character and bring forth fruit, they will be counted as an "unprofitable servant" who is not worthy to obtain and inherit the kingdom. So what happens to them?

Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught!

Joh 15:6 “If anyone does not stay in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Heb 10:26 For if we sin purposely after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a slaughter offering for sins,

Heb 10:27 but some fearsome anticipation of judgment, and a fierce fire which is about to consume the opponents.

Notice that in Hebrews 10:26 they find themselves IN judgment with the adversaries who the fire devours. Notice that it doesn't say it devours them? Why? Let the scriptures speak for themselves:

1Co 3:11 For no one is able to lay any other foundation except that which is laid, which is  יהושע  Messiah.

1Co 3:12 And if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

1Co 3:13 each one’s work shall be revealed, for the day shall show it up, because it is revealed by fire. And the fire shall prove the work of each one, what sort it is.

1Co 3:14 If anyone’s work remains, which he has built on, he shall receive a reward.

1Co 3:15 If anyone’s work is burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, but so as through fire.

If any man decides to pile nothing but JUNK on the foundation which Messiah has given him, they will suffer loss. What loss? Their share in the inheritance with Messiah’s kingdom. Are these people lost?  No, they are ultimately saved, but as one who survived going through the fire. This fire is the same judgment which will ultimately consume all the wicked. In other words, although these were called by Messiah to be his first-fruits, and had the tremendous opportunity to rule and reign with him in the kingdom, they instead find themselves SUBJECT to that kingdom, and in the judgment with the rest of mankind; A PLACE OF OUTER DARKNESS, WHERE THERE IS WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH. For these, the fire serves to chastise them, and purify them, but by YHWH's grace, they are not ultimately lost.

Can a called and chose disciple fall in to sin? Yes.

Can they make shipwreck of their faith? Yes.

Can they fail to obtain the prize for which they are called? Yes.

Can they commit the unpardonable sin and suffer the second death?

So, exactly who does commit the unpardonable sin? A look at the context is helpful:

Mat 12:22 Then they brought to Him one who was demon-possessed, blind and dumb. And He healed him, so that the blind and dumb man both spoke and saw.

Mat 12:23 And all the crowds were amazed and said, “Is this the Son of Dawiḏ?”

Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This one does not cast out demons except by Beʽelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

Mat 12:25 And  יהושע  knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every reign divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

Mat 12:26 “And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then does his reign stand?

Mat 12:27 “And if I, by Beʽelzebul, do cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Because of this they shall be your judges.

Mat 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of Elohim, then the reign of Elohim has come upon you.

Mat 12:29 “Or how is one able to enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he shall plunder his house.

Mat 12:30 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

Mat 12:31 “Because of this I say to you, all sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven men.

Mat 12:32 “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Aḏam, it shall be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Set-apart Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Speaking strictly from the text, the unpardonable sin is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan when you have great light and understanding to the contrary. Yahshua did not specifically state here that the Pharisees HAD committed that sin, but he was clearly issuing a warning that they were in danger of committing it. He told them elsewhere:

Mat 23:29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,

Mat 23:30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.’

Mat 23:31 “Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who did murder the prophets –

Mat 23:32 and you fill up the measure of your fathers!

Mat 23:33 “Serpents, brood of adders! How would you escape the judgment of Gehenna? (the second death)?

The Pharisees knew who Yahshua was, but their pride and wealth kept them from accepting him. They loved money and the praise of men more than the truth. In attributing Yahshua's works, which he did by the Spirit, to Satan, the Pharisees came very close to committing the one sin Yahshua said would never be forgiven. For this reason he questioned how they should ever escape the second death.

In the book of Jude we read of a similar group of people:

Jud 1:3 Beloved ones, making all haste to write to you concerning our common deliverance, I felt the necessity to write to you urging you to earnestly contend for the belief which was once for all delivered to the set-apart ones.

Jud 1:4 For certain men have slipped in, whose judgment was written about long ago, wicked ones perverting the favour of our Elohim for indecency, and denying the only Master יהוה  and our Master  יהושע  Messiah.

These men had obviously positioned themselves within the assembly (church), but in reality were false teachers opposing the work of the Spirit. Jude goes on to describe these:

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. Jude 1:11-13

John gives a similar description:

1Jo 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that the anti-messiah is coming, even now many anti-messiahs have come. This is how we know that it is the last hour.

1Jo 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have stayed with us – but in order that it might be made manifest that none of them were of us.

Again the picture is of false teachers who somehow have positioned themselves in the assembly, but oppose the true work of the Holy Spirit. John calls them "anti-messiahs". Having been among the true Assembly, and the work of the Holy Spirit, these had acquired great knowledge and understanding, but willfully rejected it and worked to oppose the true work of the Spirit. The picture is always one of those who know better, but strive to hinder the work of YHWH. No one could do this ignorantly as was shown in the case of the apostle Paul.

For these the judgment can only bring about one result; their eternal destruction in the second death.

THE GREAT HOPE

The day of judgment holds out a hope to mankind of which most in our day have never even heard. How absolutely tragic that this great doctrine of restitution has been utterly lost in our contemporary theology. How unthinkable that the very ones who profess to be followers of Yahshua, who were sent forth to proclaim the GOOD NEWS believe and teach that majority of mankind always has been and always will be utterly and hopelessly lost.

All of us were born captive to sin. All of us were made subject to bondage. The good news is that YHWH sent us a savior to ransom us ALL from sin and bondage. This must be, and will be testified to in due time. Some simply cannot understand now. Satan has blinded the majority so that they can not now see the truth and come to Messiah. Others have never heard, nor will hear in this lifetime.

Are these bad people? The honest truth is, we simply don't know, and for this very reason we're told not to judge; the day will manifest it. When the world is released from the bondage of death and of Satan, many will come and seek and find salvation. To this all the prophets testify.

The Gospel really is GOOD NEWS. May it be a comfort to all who are brave enough to throw off the chains of false doctrine and believe it.

For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of Elohim. 

For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope

Because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the king of kings and the children of Elohim.