NOTE: All comments in brackets [ ] or in parentheses ( ) as well as highlighted text (bolded and/or in blue) are from the author of this study.
Bible quotations are in maroon.
In this study I would like to spend some time examining what the ministry of the Worldwide Church of God taught about the resurrection of the saints during the Millennium before it became a church of this world after the death of Mr. Herbert Armstrong. It was believed that God’s saints dying during the Millennium would be resurrected immediately after their death to glorified spirit life and could, if they wanted to, visit their family, relatives and friends on the earth who are still flesh-and-blood human beings. It would be possible for them to do so because Christ after His resurrection showed Himself to other human beings and the reasoning goes that it should then be possible for those dying in Christ during the Millennium to also appear to their flesh-and-blood family, relatives and friends.
It is certainly very exciting to think that during the Millennium and by extension, during the Last Great Day, the dead in Christ would immediately be resurrected to glorified spirit life upon the end of their natural lives and be able to visit with their loved ones who are still flesh-and-blood human beings; however, we have to be proving all things and making sure that the Bible supports this belief.
The Bible speaks of 3 resurrections but says nothing about people being resurrected immediately after their death during the Millennium nor of their being able to manifest themselves to other flesh-and-blood human beings after their resurrection as glorified spirit beings. The time of the occurrence of the First and of the Second Resurrections is clear but we will have to determine using the Scriptures when will be the time of the resurrection of God’s Millennial and Last Great Day saints.
Christ after His resurrection did show Himself to His disciples and to others but does it follow that this means that God’s Millennial and Last Great Day saints will be able to also show themselves to physical mortal beings after their resurrection as glorified spirit beings?
Remember that Christ’s resurrection from the dead was the only sign He had given the Pharisees that He was the promised Messiah.
Why Christ Manifested Himself after His Resurrection
Mat 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
It was essential that Christ be seen by men after His resurrection as His resurrection was the irrefutable proof that He was who He said He was, Jesus the Christ, the promised Messiah they had been waiting for all these years. The resurrection from death to life definitely proves that Jesus of Nazareth was Christ, that what He taught was true and that He is the first among many being the elder brother of all true Christians that are to be born again to eternal spirit life.
Several eyewitnesses were required of His resurrection as in the mouth of two or more witnesses is the truth of a matter established.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
2Co 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
1Ti 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Christ knew that the news of His resurrection would be rejected and lied about by the religious authorities of the time as it proved that He was the promised Messiah and they certainly could not let that stand unopposed.
Mat 28:11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
Mat 28:12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
Mat 28:13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
Mat 28:14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
Mat 28:15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
It was crucial that Christ show Himself to many people after His resurrection to confirm that it had indeed occurred. It was the proof of His being the Messiah and also the proof that the religious elite of the day, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were wrong in their opposition to Him.
Also, the disciples were to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) of His resurrection unto the world of their days.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
As previously explained, for a witness to have credibility there has to be more than one and they must say the same thing about the incident they say they personally saw. A credible witness has to be someone who saw with his own eyes the event he is talking about; it cannot be that he heard it from someone else but didn’t actually see it himself. This is called hearsay and to this day is not acceptable as proof of something having actually occurred. The truth of a matter is established in the mouth of two or more eyewitnesses.
Christ’s proof to men that He was the Messiah required that He have several human beings as actual eyewitnesses of His resurrection from the dead and this is the reason Christ manifested Himself to flesh-and-blood human beings after His resurrection; especially, to His disciples who were to be witnesses of His resurrection.
Knowing this, we can also now understand that it is only the apostles that could be witnesses of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The commission to do so was given to them. No one today can be a witness unto Christ as no one alive today and since the death of the apostles have seen and can claim to be eyewitnesses of Christ’s resurrection.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye [Christ’s disciples who became apostles on the day of Pentecost] shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Now, back to the main topic of this study.
What About God’s Millennial Saints?
There is no similar requirement for God’s Millennial saints to show themselves to mortal, flesh-and-blood human beings after their resurrection to spirit life to prove the reality of the resurrection or in fulfillment of a vital requirement of God’s plan of salvation for mankind. And, just when will God’s Millennial saints who die during the 1,000 year period of the Millennium be resurrected? Will they die and remain dead until the end of the Millennium and the Last Great Day or will they be immediately transformed into glorified spirit beings as they die during the Millennium after having lived a normal lifespan? More about this later as we move forward with this study.
The Bible identifies Christ as being God’s spokesman and it is not stated anywhere in the Bible that God’s saints after their resurrection are to have a spokesman role to play in God’s administration of His plan of salvation. The Word is the means by which God the Father’s plan of salvation is being carried out. He is the principal agent and actor of greatest importance in this process. Conversion occurs through the working of God’s Holy Spirit in the mind of the person being called which teaches him truth he had always before rejected but which now he accepts. God gradually gives him sufficient knowledge to bring him to the point where he has to make the choice to either follow his calling or return into the world out of which he is being called out. Conversion is not brought about by personally witnessing miracles no matter how amazing such as was the resurrection of Lazarus who had been dead 3 days and whose body was already a rotting, stinking mess. No one was converted as a result of seeing Lazarus resurrected. Conversion can only occur after a period of teaching by God’s Holy Spirit. Conversion can only occur after having been taught some of God’s truth.
Even if it were God’s will that His Millennial saints manifest themselves to flesh-and-blood human beings after their resurrection as glorified spirit beings, it would do nothing to advance His plan of salvation as miracles no matter how spectacular do not lead to conversion. And, Christians who have become glorified spirit beings are not God the Father’s Spokesman; Christ is God’s Spokesman. There is therefore no need for them to manifest themselves to flesh-and-blood human beings as this does not fulfill any requirement of God’s plan of salvation.
We now need to determine the time of God’s Millennial saints’ resurrection? We know that First Resurrection saints will be the Bride of Christ and Christ will be the bridegroom or Husband. We also know that there will be children in God’s Kingdom and that their coming into being has to occur after the marriage of God’s Church, the Bride of Christ, which occurs at the time of Christ’s 2nd Coming. They then become a married couple whose children will be holy to God the Father. After the formation of the Bride of Christ composed of God’s saints in the First Resurrection there are 2 resurrections still to come.
Let’s continue our analysis.
Salvation is by Faith
Salvation requires a human level faith that Jesus of Nazareth born of the virgin Mary was the promised Messiah and that He was the son of God in the flesh whose death on the stake paid for the sins of mankind. This is the human level faith we need to have in order to have Christ’s perfect holy righteous character or His faith imputed to us.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we [the apostles] have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified [have our sins forgiven] by the faith of Christ, [being imputed to us] and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
We need to have a human level faith in Christ in order to have Christ’s faith imputed to us which is the faith that saves us. Paul defines faith as being:
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
We are saved by faith through grace and the just, those whose sins are forgiven, are to live by faith i.e., they are to believe without seeing before them in a physically visible form, those things which they believe because faith is the evidence of things not seen i.e., they believe them as though they had seen them with their own two eyes even though they did not. This is the human level faith they must have to have Christ’s faith imputed to them. Believing without seeing is not the faith of Christ, believing without seeing is the human level faith required for Christians to be saved by God the Father imputing Christ’s faith to them. (See the following article for a detailed explanation of what it means to have Christ’s faith by imputation: Salvation by Imputation)
Since faith is a requirement for salvation, how would it be possible for men to live by faith during the Millennium if their relatives who died in Christ were to be able to appear to them at will and by doing so confirm the truth of the resurrection of the dead, the existence of God’s Kingdom, in brief, confirm the truth of many of the mysteries of the ages which God says He only teaches to those His called and chosen or His saints by revelation through His Holy Spirit?
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:[the called and chosen who are remaining faithful]
God’s Truth Only Given to His Saints by His Holy Spirit
God’s truth is revealed to God’s saints, His called out and chosen ones, not to just anyone and it is done by God’s Holy Spirit.
Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, [those not called] all these things are done in parables:
Mar 4:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
1Co 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our [those called and chosen] glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural [unconverted] man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Even if God’s glorified saints were allowed to manifest themselves to unconverted flesh-and-blood mortals during the Millennium, their appearance would not lead to men becoming converted anymore than Jesus’ miracles did. God’s truth is only knowable by the action of God’s Holy Spirit in men’s minds (1Co 2:14); otherwise, men immediately reject and fight against any and all of God’s truth (Rom 8:7). One must be called by God the Father to be able to accept and understand God’s truth (John 6:44). The unconverted are unteachable when it comes to learning God’s truth because it is spiritually discerned (1Cor 2:14) i.e., it requires the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in men’s minds (1Co 2:11).
Now, let’s examine the difference between being called and being chosen as this is very important to understanding the conversion and salvation processes. There is a very great difference that we need to be aware of as many are those who think that being called is the same thing as being chosen.
Two Different Things — Being Called and Being Chosen
During the Millennium and the Last Great Day, God will not change the administration of His master plan of salvation for mankind except that He will make His Holy Spirit available to all men but having the Holy Spirit is not the same thing as becoming or being converted. It is the first of many steps on the way to conversion. As has been the requirement from the beginning, men must follow their calling, submit to God and live a life of overcoming until their natural death. As part of the calling out process, God gives men enough information for them to be taken to the point where they have to make a choice but He does not give them full knowledge and understanding of all truth. Growing in knowledge and understanding of God’s truth is something the truly converted Christian will have to do for the rest of his life. Upon being called he is only given enough truth to be taken to the point where he has to make the choice to submit to God or to go back into the world.
The called out person who does not follow his calling will have known but a small part of God’s truth which he will in time lose once back in the world. God’s Spirit that was with him for a time leaves him and he again becomes as totally blind to spiritual truth as he was before his calling.
God’s truth is to be revealed by His Spirit to His saints, those that are called and chosen NOT to the world. The means by which this has been done since the beginning of God’s plan of salvation for mankind is by God’s Holy Spirit not by spirit beings such as angels appearing to men to teach them.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, [“Spirit” it should read] whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
That is why individuals dying in Christ will not be appearing to their families, relatives or friends during the Millennium as in doing so they would be revealing truth to their unconverted friends, relatives and family which is not theirs to know as they are not God’s saints. God’s truth is only revealed by God’s Holy Spirit and only to His called AND chosen ones.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us [God’s called AND chosen ones] by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, [the things of God can no man know] but [by] the Spirit of God.
Just being called is not enough and it is only God the Father that calls men (John 6:44). The calling out process is a spiritual begettal process where God’s Spirit will be with the person being called but not in them as occurs once they accept their calling and it will teach enough spiritual truth for the person to be brought to the crossroads where he will have to decide to either follow God or to go back into the world. If at God’s calling a new spiritual embryo is conceived i.e., the individual commits himself to obeying God in all things to the best of his abilities for the rest of his life then it is Christ who becomes responsible for nurturing this new spiritual embryo to maturity.
Joh 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou [God the Father] gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
So, as we can see, one can be called and not chosen because of refusing to follow God’s calling. Christ makes it clear, if we will believe the plain message of our Bible and Christ Himself, that though many are called it is the few that are chosen.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
They are not chosen because they refuse to follow their calling, to forsake their life in the world and to submit to God. Christ plainly tells us that it is the many of the called out ones who choose to remain unconverted and therefore are cut off from God’s Holy Spirit which is the only means by which they can know God’s spiritual truth. There is no indication in the Scriptures that during the Millennium and the Last Great Day when all will be called that more will follow their calling.
And, Christ also clearly tells us that few of those who follow their calling and become converted, remain faithful.
Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Though all will be called during the Millennium and the Last Great Day, it is the many that will not follow their calling and of those who do, it is the many that will not remain faithful. In other words, it is the many that will be unconverted during the Millennium and the Last Great Day if we will allow ourselves to believe the clear and simple words of Christ.
God’s truth is not to be revealed to those who are not called or who were called but rejected their calling or still, who accepted their calling, became converted and later on in their lives departed from the truth. This is what would occur if individuals who died in Christ and became glorified spirit beings were to appear to their unconverted family, relatives and friends. Additionally and most importantly, the revelation of God’s spiritual truth to men is wholly reserved to God’s Holy Spirit; it is not something God’s glorified saints do. And, one last thought of consequence, the unconverted unless being called, are unteachable with respect to God’s spiritual truth and when an individual is called, it is God’s Holy Spirit, not glorified saints or angels, that teaches them.
Upon being called and chosen, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, God uses the Church instituted by Christ at His First Coming. This Church was to exist until the end of mankind and of God’s plan of salvation for mankind which occurs after the Great White Throne Judgment when the Lake of Fire consumes the wicked. God’s Church composed of truly converted flesh-and-blood men is the means used by God to teach new converts.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This Church is made up of converted individuals some of which would have teaching and leadership responsibilities as stated by Paul in Eph 4:11-14.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
God’s Church which is composed of truly converted individuals is the means used by God since Christ’s First Coming to teach new and existing converts. This has been the process for the last almost 2,000 years now and since the Church is never to die out, it will be the means used by God to teach new converts and true Christians until the end of His great master plan of salvation for mankind which includes the Millennium and the Last Great Day.
First Resurrection saints in their glorified state are not God’s chosen instrument to teach flesh-and-blood human converts. They will be the Bride of Christ and be with Christ in the third heaven. The Word became a man to teach those that would constitute the foundation of His New Testament Spitit-begotten Church; God did not use spirit beings to do so. God has been using truly converted men who have the natural ability to teach and lead His Church under Christ its living head since the foundation of His Church. This is the very reason why God founded His Church.
Functioning of God’s Kingdom
In God’s Kingdom there is a hierarchy of authority and every member of God’s Kingdom has a role to play which is assigned to them by God. They do not choose what role they are going to play in God’s Kingdom any more than they choose the role they are to play in the body of Christ or God’s Church as called and chosen human beings.
Eph 4:11 And he [Christ] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
There is one Supreme Ruler in God’s Kingdom and it is God the Father then second-in-command, we have Christ who is fully in submission to the Father. All those that become members of God’s Kingdom will become part of a kingdom where each and every member is fully under authority directly from God through the different levels of authority He will give to His saints. Some will be rulers and some will be under authority and all will play roles and carry out functions as required by God the Father.
God’s Kingdom is a single massive entity made up of possibly millions of individuals who will all be working under God’s authority and in full cooperation with each other for the good of the body, family and Kingdom.
In 1 Cor 12 Paul gives us a very good description of the functioning of the Kingdom of God using the human body to illustrate what he is saying.
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
The human body created by God reflects the nature of God and of His Kingdom as man was created in the image (has mind power like God) of God and after their likeness (in physical appearance) (Gen 1:26). And how much this is so is explained by Paul in 1 Cor 12. Paul explains that the human body has a great many different parts playing different roles in the body all in full cooperation with each other. Then he continues by saying that God’s Church which is the body of Christ also has many different parts playing different roles. However, individuals in God’s Church do not decide themselves what role they will play in the body of Christ; their role or position of authority in the body of Christ is given them by God. The human body like God’s Church is a fully integrated unit where all parts work for the well being of the whole and in service to the head of the body with no role in the body being less important or necessary than any other. The human body and God’s Church serve to illustrate the functioning of God’s Kingdom which is also a fully integrated unit or whole made up of millions of different parts playing different roles and having different functions which are assigned to them by God the Father and who collectively form a single, fully integrated unit and being.
Every member of God’s Kingdom will have a role assigned by God the Father; they do not choose their own role or decide on what level of authority they will have in God’s Kingdom. They will all be fully under the authority of God the Father as the attitude of obedience to God in all things which they maintained throughout their former human lives will have become a permanent part of their glorified spirit body following their resurrection to spirit life. It is this authority flowing from God the Father to all members of God’s Kingdom who are in full submission to God that will ensure there is never any part of the body rebelling against God as occurred with Lucifer and his angels. It is also through this process that all true Christians in this life and in the resurrection are one with God and Christ. And, it is also how God is one though consisting eventually of possibly millions of other beings in the future.
God the Father is the Supreme Ruler and Christ or the Word is the Spokesman in God’s Kingdom presently composed of God and the Word but which is to grow to possibly millions of individuals. It is Christ to whom has been given the role of being the contact point between God and human beings through the spirit in man that is in them. He is the One through whom God’s truth is revealed to human beings and it is a role He has been playing since the beginning of God’s plan of salvation for mankind and which He will fulfill until the end of mankind and the completion of God’s plan of salvation.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
God’s First Resurrection saints will become the Bride of Christ. The Bride does not have a spokesman role to play. This role belongs to Christ and nowhere do we read in the Bible that the Bride was to teach during the Millennium or have a spokesman role.
There is therefore no reason nor authority for First Resurrection saints or for those whose resurrection occur during the Millennium to manifest themselves at will to flesh-and-blood human beings to teach them or, by their simple presence among human beings, reveal to them truth hidden from mankind and which God has chosen to reveal to individuals by His Holy Spirit whose work occurs in the mind of the person being called. Of course, the question does not even arise if the resurrection of God’s Millennial saints is not an ongoing process as thought by some.
The Resurrection of God’s Millennial and Last Great Day Saints
Do we have any indication in the Bible of the time when God’s children will be born and His family, nation and kingdom will come fully into being as His great master plan of salvation for mankind comes to its completion?
We know that God’s First Resurrection saints are to constitute the Bride of Christ and that at Christ’s 2nd Coming there will be the marriage of Christ and His Bride. Subsequently, we know there is to follow the Millennium when God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh which is to be followed by a period of time in the Bible called the Last Great Day when all those who have never known the truth will be resurrected to flesh-and-blood existence and called to salvation. The resurrection of the individuals that will be in the Last Great Day is a 2nd massive resurrection of individuals similar to the one that occurred at Christ’s 2nd Coming, only this one, will be to flesh-and-blood existence.
At the end of the Last Great Day, there is to occur a 3rd Resurrection which has been called the Resurrection to Judgment.
Mat 25:31 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:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 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:
Here is a time where all men from all nations and all times will have been given to know the truth or in other words, will have been called. We are then at the very end of God’s plan of salvation. The whole world will have been judged and then will be the time of God sentencing men to eternal life in His Kingdom or to the Second Death from which no resurrection is possible.
A critical distinction to keep in mind is that there are two distinct meanings to the word “judgment.” Judgment can be the act of passing sentence i.e., making a final decision that something is good or bad and it can also refer to a period of time where an individual’s behavior is observed and put to the test to determine whether the person will conduct their lives as best they can according to God’s standards or not.
When one is called and does not follow his calling, he is judged as not wanting to be part of God’s Kingdom. Their preference is to continue on with their lives in the world even if it means losing their salvation.
When one is called and follows his calling, God judges or evaluates his attitude of continuing obedience to Him until the end of his physical life by taking note of what the person does after having committed himself to obeying Him. God’s saints who constitute God’s Church are under judgment (are under evaluation by God) all through their lives.
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
However, there is a time another time of judgment to come which is the sentencing of all those called based on what they did with their calling. All the world will have been called by the time of the 3rd Resurrection. Did they follow their calling or not? Did they follow it and then abandon it? Did they follow their calling and remain faithful until the end of their lives?
There is a group of individuals that will not be included in the 3rd Resurrection and these are those from all nations who were called, chosen and faithful and who became the Bride of Christ in the First Resurrection which occurred at the time of Christ’s 2nd Coming.
The time period of the Great White Throne judgment will include individuals that are resurrected to flesh-and-blood life in the Third Resurrection; those of the Second Resurrection of the Last Great Day who will then be alive and, God’s faithful saints who died during the Millennium and are still in their graves.
So, those that will be in the Great White Throne judgment are:
- all those who since the creation of mankind were called but did not follow their calling along with those who followed it and later on abandoned it. In other words, all those who did not endure in the faith until the end of their lives and who have died over the centuries. Their resurrection is to flesh-and-blood life at the time of the Great White Throne judgment. They are the goats that God will separate from the sheep;
- all those who since the creation of man have never known the truth and who were resurrected to flesh-and-blood life in the 2nd Resurrection of the Last Great Day. You will recall that those of the 2nd Resurrection are all called (John 7:37) and live for a period of 100 years. At the end of that time period, while they are still alive, will come their judgment or sentencing; the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed i.e., be judged by Christ and lose his salvation:
Isa 65:20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
They too will be part of the goats that Christ will separate from the sheep.
- those from all nations who, during the Millennium were called, did not follow their calling and died during the Millennium and, all those who died during the Millennium after having initially followed their calling and later on in their lives departed from the truth. Their resurrection is to flesh-and-blood and they are consumed in the Lake of Fire; they are part of the goats that Christ will divide from the sheep
- those who during the Millennium were called, chosen and faithful and died during the Millennium. People during the Millennium will live a normal lifespan and, over the 1,000 year period of the Millennium, many generations will have been born and died. They died in Christ but their time of resurrection will be during the time of the Great White Throne judgment and we will see why shortly. Their resurrection is to glorified spirit life. They are the sheep in the Great White Throne Judgment.
At the end of the Last Great Day, Christ sitting on His throne of glory will separate those who did not follow their calling (the goats) from those who did and endured unto the end of their lives in the truth (the sheep).
The resurrection to glorified spirit life of God’s Millennial saints who died during the Millennium will then happen when Christ calls them to inherit their salvation along with God’s faithful saints of the Last Great Day who will then still be alive as flesh-and-blood human beings as explained by Paul in 1 Thes 4:15-17 and in 1 Cor 15:51-52.
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; [eternal life; immortality]
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; [be resurrected] they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;[resurrected as glorified spirit beings; the sheep] and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. [resurrected to flesh-and-blood life and will perish in the Lake of Fire (the goats) which is the Second Death from which no resurrection is possible]
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [the time of sentencing to eternal life or to the second death]
All of mankind will experience the first death except God’s faithful saints at the end of the Last Great Day at the time when Christ sentences His faithful saints to inherit the kingdom and the others are damned. This is made clear by Paul in the verses quoted below: 1Thes 4:15-17 and 1Cor 51-52.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. [dead]
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We [God’s faithful saints that will be alive at the time of the blowing of the last trump] shall not all sleep, [experience death] but we shall all be changed, [whether dead or alive at the time of the blowing of the last trump]
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead [God’s faithful saints that have died] shall be raised incorruptible, and we [God’s faithful saints that are alive at that time] shall be changed. [Also raised incorruptible.]
God’s faithful saints during the Millennium and the Last Great Day will become glorified spirit beings and will be the children of the Kingdom. All those who since Adam and Eve as well as those who during the Millennium and the Last Great Day refused their calling or departed from it are resurrected as flesh-and-blood individuals. They are all consumed in the Lake of Fire (God destroys body and soul i.e., they can never be resurrected and their existence forever ceases (Mat 10:28); this is the second death from which no resurrection is possible) as God moves on to the next stage of His great master plan of salvation i.e., the creation of a new heaven and of a new earth (Rev 21:1).
How can we know that God’s saints during the Millennium who endured in the faith until the end of their lives will be resurrected at the end of the 100 year period of the Last Great Day and become glorified spirit beings along with God’s faithful Last Great Day saints? In Isaiah 66: 7-8 we read the following:
Isa 66:7 Before she [Zion] travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
Zion is the eternal Kingdom of God presently made up of God the Father and Jesus-Christ His first begotten son of the Virgin Mary, a descendant of the House of David who was of the tribe of Judah. It is also the physical descendants of Israel whose twelve sons became the 12-tribe nation of Israel. This is the physical Zion. All men by grace through faith (Eph 2:8) can become potential members of God’s eternal Zion if when called they are chosen and remain faithful until the end of their lives.
The Zion that brought forth the man child who was Christ was God the Father through whose power (Luke 1:35) was conceived the Christ child in the virgin Mary’s womb and whose birth occurred without travail or pain (Is 66:7). Then in the next verse we jump to a time yet ahead of us where another miraculous birth is to occur. This time it will be the birth of a whole nation all at once; the resurrection to glorified spirit life of the children of Christ and His Bride which will be God’s nation. Christ and His Bride will rule over them as King and Queen of the royal family.
Isa 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion [God’s Kingdom who at the time of the 3rd resurrection is made up of God the Father and, Christ and His Bride] travailed, she brought forth her children.
The children of God’s Kingdom are brought forth or born all at once. They are those whose salvation occurs after the marriage of Christ and His Bride. These children are the result of the work of Christ and His Bride during the Millennium and the Last Great Day. The Bride will assist Christ but not as a Spokesman; this has been Christ’s role from the beginning. They will have by their work during the Millennium and the Last Great Day made possible the birth of the children of the Kingdom who also are the subjects of the Kingdom and, in that sense, are very much the nation of the King and Queen of the Kingdom, Christ and His Bride. The birth of the children of the Kingdom of God or of God’s nation to glorified spirit life occurs all at once at the time of the 3rd resurrection. God’s nation will be made up of God’s faithful saints of the Millennium and of the Last Great Day.
Conclusion
As we have seen, the just shall live by faith and faith is the substance of things unseen.
The just lived by faith in the past i.e., were required to believe without seeing. They are doing so now and it will be a requirement to do so for those who follow their calling during the Millennium and the Last Great Day. Living by faith is a fundamental and integral part of God’s master plan of salvation for mankind.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God’s First Resurrection saints are in the third heaven with God the Father and Christ. Christ, at the time of His 2nd Coming will have married the First Resurrection saints who constitute the Bride of Christ. God’s Millennial saints and those of the Last Great Day will constitute the children or subjects of the kingdom.
The requirement to live by faith, the role of Christ as God’s Spokesman and the role of the Holy Spirit who is to teach all things (John 14:26) are the reasons why First Resurrection glorified spirit beings will not manifest themselves to human beings revealing by their presence truth which God has purposed to give mankind by His Holy Spirit. Were they to do so they would then be disobeying God as God’s Spokesman is Christ and God’s truth is only given to His called and chosen ones by God’s Holy Spirit not by First Resurrection glorified saints taking on physically visible forms to teach the unconverted nations of the world.
We know that once glorified it is no longer possible to disobey God.
1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God [by a resurrection from the dead to glorified spirit life] sinneth not; but he that is begotten [a spiritual embryo yet to be born as a glorified spirit being; this is a flesh-and-blood human being called and chosen by God] of God keepeth himself, [maintains an attitude of refraining from all sins to the best of his abilities as he is still quite able to sin] and that wicked one toucheth him not.
1Jn 3:9 Whosoever is born of God [has become a glorified spirit being and son of God the Father by a resurrection from the dead] doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: [the very nature of God has become his own nature] and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. [Has become God as God is God who cannot sin.]
God’s truth is unknowable by the unconverted (Rom 8:7) and First Resurrection saints have no commission to teach the unconverted in any way. During the Millennium and the Last Great Day if we will believe Christ, it is the many that will either not follow their calling or fail to endure in it to the end of their natural lives. They will be unteachable. God founded His Church to be the means to teach new converts, a church that is to exist as long as they are men on the earth fulfilling its mission of teaching God’s called and chosen ones.
This is how God has been administering His master plan of salvation from the beginning with Christ being His Spokesman through the Holy Spirit and this role is given to no one else.
The children of God’s Kingdom who will also be God’s nation will be God’s Millennial and Last Great Day saints who remained faithful until the end of their lives and whose resurrection to glorified spirit life will occur as part of the events of the Great White Throne judgment. After, God will create a new heaven and a new earth.
There are no Scriptures allowing us to believe that throughout the Millennium those dying in Christ will immediately be resurrected to glorified spirit life and be able to manifest themselves at will to flesh-and-blood human beings.
God's Spiritual Nation 