There have been millions of people down through the ages who have
never heard the name of Jesus Christ - countless children have
been born who have also died without knowing about the Saviour.
Many have been born mentally handicapped to whom the words of
Jesus mean nothing, even the name of Jesus has no meaning to
them. Some individuals have gone insane before Jesus Christ was
preached to them and to whom the gospel now is just
unintelligible words. Are all these children and people LOST ? Or
is there some other way that they enter God's Kingdom ? The Bible
plainly says that it is only through Jesus Christ that a person
can be SAVED. The answer can be found in the 7th great Festival
of God - the WHITE THRONE JUDGE-MENT DAY!
by
Keith Hunt
SALVATION is not to be found except through Jesus Christ, so
says your Bible (Acts 4:12). Jesus said HE was the VlNE, those
that did not abide in Him could only be cast forth(JN 15:1-6).
Jesus alone is the DOOR into the sheepfold, trying to get in some
other way only makes that person a thief or robber(JN. 10:1-5).
God is LOVE and anyone who does not LOVE does not know God(1
JN.4:8). What IS love? Paul said, "...love is - the FULFILLING of
the LAW"(Rom.13:10). John was further inspired to write, "He that
says I know Him ,and keeps not His Commandments, is a LlAR, and
the truth is not in him."(1 JN.2:4). Liars have no right to the
tree of LIFE - SALVATION(Rev.22:14-15). The scriptures clearly
teach over and over again, that SALVATION comes only through
knowing Jesus Christ in a personal way, as personal Saviour,
repenting of sin(which is the breaking of the Law of God 1
JN.3:4) and a willing heart to keep the Commandments of a God
that will save you by His grace (Eph.2:8; Ps.103:17-18).
The way to be SAVED entails that a person has not only been
TOLD about the only Saviour, but that they also have a clear
understanding of what the Lord requires of them - the direction
that a.........life should now take (please request my free
article - 'Saved by Grace, the True way of Salvation' ).
Those who have never even heard the name of Jesus - who have
never had the Bible to read, those who were born mentally sick to
the point that Jesus and the words of God meant absolutely
nothing(and I have worked with such people) - those who did
not know or understand the Laws and Commandments of God, that
they might repent of sin and follow the way of the LORD - all
those who have lived and died in such conditions have never
received, nor were they GIVEN Salvation. They were born without
Salvation, and they died without Salvation. But are they LOST,
are they NEVER to be given a fair open chance for the Salvation
that they knew nothing about during their lifetime?
ALL ARE NOT NOW CALLED TO SALVATION
It is written that God does not WANT, that He does not WISH
that anyone should PERISH, but that all would come to
repentance(2 Pet.3:9). God is wanting all people to have a clear
opportunity to know and understand about Jesus Christ, Sin and
Repentance. But as shocking as it may sound - God is NOT giving
everyone His saving knowledge in this life time - God is not
trying to SAVE everyone in this life time! A person can not
become a Christian UNLESS the Father DRAWS him with His
Spirit(JN. 6:44-45).
Jesus spoke in PARABLES to the MULTITUDES, not that they
would understand better, but that they would NOT understand, that
they would remain in their sins (MT.13:1-15; MRK.4:12,34).
Paul was inspired to write that not very many were being
CALLED to really know God today ( 1 COR.1:26).
For an indepth study on this please request the articles,
"Predestination" and "The World to Come."
ALL WILL BE RESURRECTED !
Jesus taught that every single person that had died would
one day come forth from the grave in a resurrection, "......the
DEAD shall hear the voice of the Son of God - and they that hear
shall LlVE.......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 judge-ment"(as the Greek should read,
JN 5:25-29 ).
Paul also believed, along with many Jews, that there would
be a resurrection of the JUST and also of the UNJUST(Acts 24:15).
What is not commonly understood is that there is about 1,000
years between the resurrection of the JUST and the resurrection
of the UNJUST, and the unjust are resurrected to a time of
JUDGE-MENT not CONDEMNING, and there is a vast difference as we
shall see.
GOD'S CHILDREN ARE NOW BEING JUDGED
Judging takes time - judging is observing under set
regulations or rules, and then making a decision. Those called
now to Christ, are, while walking down the Salvation road,
continually under the judge-ment of God as to what they are doing
with what they have been given. Remember the parable of the
TALENTS - him that had been given one talents and had gained
another ten, was given ten cities to rule over - him that was
given one talents and gained five more, was given authority over
five cities. But the one who had one talent and did nothing with
it, had even that one talent taken away and was himself cast out
( MT.25: 14-30; LK.19:11-27).
Talking to Christians, Peter was inspired to say, "For the
time is come, that judgment must begin at the house of God"(1
Pet.4:17). Judgment is upon the children of God, those called to
salvation NOW - those to whom Jesus Christ has been revealed,
who understand what sin is, who have been called to repentance
and to accept Jesus as their personal savior.
And what is the STANDARD by which Christians are being
judged? The LAW of LIBERTY (the 10 Commandments as amplified by
the books of the Bible) and MERCY, see James 2:8-13.
THE FIRST RESURRECTION - THE JUST
When the Bible speaks of the JUST, it is speaking of those
who have not only been called to hear the name of Jesus and the
gospel, but have also been CHOSEN to be granted repentance to
Salvation - for it is God who gives repentance and opens the
mind to His truths(see 2 Tim.2:24-26; Mat.22:1-14). We of course
have our part in all of this(see Deut.30:1 5- 1 9).
All true Christians down through the ages, will be
resurrected to immortal life at the visible glorious return of
Christ(Mat.24:30,31; 1 Cor.15:20-23,51-54; 1 Thes.4:13-18). This
resurrection is only the FIRST resurrection, "...and they lived
and reigned with Christ a THOUSAND years.......this is the first
resurrection."(Rev.20:4,5). Notice the first part of verse 5,
"But the REST of the DEAD lived not again UNTIL the thousand
years were finished."
The first resurrection is only for those who were called and
chosen to salvation - for those who did hear about, who
understood the truth about Jesus Christ and the gospel - for
those who did repent of sin and were willing to walk in the way
of the Lord. They and no one else will be in the FIRST
resurrection. All the other dead will live again(for all that
are in the graves will come forth as Jesus said in John chapter
5) but not until AFTER the 1,000 years have ended.
THE SECOND RESURRECTION - THE UNJUST
Even in ancient Israel, under the first covenant, FEW were
granted the understanding of the truth of God - most were left
with blinded hearts so they could not perceive the coming of the
Saviour, repentance and God's saving Spirit. They had the letter
of the Law to be sure, so they could if they followed it, have a
good healthy and happy physical life, but as far as eternal
salvation was concerned, only the FEW in Israel were called to
receive that gift - the rest were left in spiritual blindness.
Yes, as shocking as it may sound, the Lord Himself did not open
their hearts - they were blinded and He left them that way - they
were never even given an opportunity for salvation in that
lifetime !!
Notice what God said to Moses, "O that there was such a
heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep my commandments
always......."(Deut.5:29). The Israelites did not naturally have
the kind of heart that would deeply repent and follow the ways of
God to the end.
Did the Lord do anything about it - did He change that heart
with the majority? Moses answered them, "Yet the Lord HAS NOT
GIVEN you an heart to PERCEIVE, and eyes to SEE, and ears to
HEAR, unto THIS DAY"(Deut.29:4). God did not give His saving
Spirit but to only a select few in ancient Israel - Moses wished
that God would have given it to all, but He just did not - please
read Numbers 11,verses 16 to 30.
Even under the second covenant today, God is only calling
and choosing a few in Israel to salvation - the rest He is
purposely leaving in spiritual blindness.
Read it in your own Bible. "I say, has God cast away His
people?(it may seem He did and has) GOD FORBID! Even so then at
this PRESENT TIME ALSO(just as in ancient Israel) there is a
REMNANT according to the ELECTION(being called and chosen
to hear and understand Jesus Christ) of grace(not something we
can do, of and by ourselves)........ and the REST were BLINDED.
According as it is written(now Paul goes back to what we have
just been reading and applies it still for today):GOD(not man but
God Himself) has given them the spirit of SLUMBER, eyes that they
should not see, and ears that they should not hear, UNTO THIS
DAY(even in the New Testament age) l say then: Have they stumbled
that they should fall? GOD FORBID! (it is not God's intention
that they should never have an opportunity for salvation) for I
would not brethren, that you should be ignorant of this
MYSTERY(to man it may seem hard to understand what God is then
doing by electing some and keeping the rest blinded).....that
BLINDNESS in part(the majority part) is happened to Israel,
UNTIL(so it is not forever then, but only until a certain time)
the fullness of the Gentiles be come in(when God has called and
chosen others from all nations,He will remember those blinded
Israelites), and so all(relatively) Israel will be saved, as it
is written(this is not something new, but was planned by God
long ago as the prophets were inspired to record): There shall
come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
form Jacob(God will remove the spiritual blindness, He will grant
repentance, open their hearts to see clearly Jesus Christ and His
word of truth). For this is the covenant with them, when I shall
take away their sins(most in Israel never had their sins removed
- they died in their sins - God never gave them a chance for
salvation during their first physical life time, but He will one
day)" (Rom. 11:1-27, amplified myself).
Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11, are remarkable passages of
scripture in showing: God has a great plan of Salvation for all
peoples that He is working out. He is calling some to salvation
NOW as He did in the past, others are BLINDED by Him and will not
be called to salvation untiI Iater.
But as we have seen from other scriptures, ALL will be given
an opportunity to be taught of God(JN.6:45). For those blinded
Israelites and others it will be in the resurrection AFTER the
1,000 years - a second resurrection. A resurrection to JUDGMENT !
THE JUDGMENT
Jesus, seeing the hard heartedness in the people of His day,
looked down the pathway of time into the resurrection of the
unjust. To the time when all who had never been granted by the
Father to perceive His truths and understand the way of salvation
- when all those who had died in their sins, the evil one as
Jesus put it, those who had never had their sins taken away, as
Paul quoted it - would arise up in "the judgment."
Turn to it in Luke 11:31,32. "The Queen of the South(Sheba)
shall RISE UP(a resurrection) in THE judgment, with the men of
THIS generation(both rising together - the rest of the dead in
Rev.20:5) and condemn them (put them to shame), for she came from
the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and
behold, a greater than Solomon is here."
Jesus was telling the people then living that it was going
to be easier for the queen of Sheba, to accept Him and Salvation
in that resurrection judgment day(in which they would also come
up with unblinded minds) than it would be for them. She would so
easily accept Him, that it would put them to utter shame.
Jesus went on to say: "The men of Nineva shall RISE UP in
THE judgment(a resurrection after the 1,000 years) with THIS
generation(all being resurrected together) and shall put it to
shame(condemn): for they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and
a greater than Jonas is here."
Jesus could see that the attitude of the blinded minds(as
far as eternal salvation went) of the people of pagan Nineva
would stand them in better stead in the resurrection, than those
living that He preached to. The men of Nineva were willing to
change when Jonah was sent by God to warn them, and here was
Christ, the Son of God preaching to the people of His day, and
very few willing to listen or change. Jesus could see that
in the second resurrection, the judgment resurrection, the
Ninevites will accept Him with little problem, and so put to
shame those of the generation that He preached to while in
the flesh.
This great resurrection of countless millions of Israelites
and Gentiles is shown to us also in the book of Ezekiel, chapter
37:1-14. Notice that what is described there is a PHYSICAL
resurrection - bones, sinew, flesh and breath. The Lord will open
the graves and the people will rise - they will be given God's
Spirit - for the first time Salvation will be given to them.
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE
The apostle John wrote that AFTER the thousand years,
"......l saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on
it.......And I saw the DEAD, small and great(from those like
the queen of Sheba to small babies) stand before God(resurrected
to physical life), and the BOOKS were OPENED." The Greek for
'books' is BIBLOS, from where we get our word BIBLE. The Bible
being made up of many books. Here the Bible is being opened
up to these people for the first time for many and being able to
be understood for the first time for others.
"And another book was OPENED, which is the book of LIFE."
Can anything be any plainer, here is SALVATION being opened up to
these tens of millions - Salvation for the first time. Israelite
and Gentile alike, poor and rich, small and great, young and old,
the mentally sick, the pagan savage - all healed from any
physical infirmity - the spiritual blindness removed - Salvation
and Jesus Christ and the word of God are clearly before
them. "And the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works" ( Rev.20:11-12 )
.
Now the great Eternal God gives them TIME to live the
Christian life - time to repent and accept Jesus as their
personal saviour - time to live by every word of God(Mt.4:4) and
be JUDGED by the Law of Liberty and Mercy(James 2:10-13). Judged
over a period of time, just like other Christians who went before
- judged with what they do with what they have now been given. It
is now THEIR day of SALVATION!
OH, how wonderful are the ways of the Lord - all will be
given an open and equal chance to know the Saviour Christ Jesus
and the word of the Father.
If the world would have been willing to keep the FESTIVALS
of God as stated in Leviticus the 23rd chapter, then all would
not be in confusion in Churchianity as to the PLAN of the Lord in
regards to Salvation.
HERE IS AN OUTLINE OF GOD'S MASTER PLAN.
THE PASSOVER. The true Lamb of God, the Christ slain for the
sins of the world, so all can be justified through His shed
blood, have their sins forgiven.
THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. Picture the justified willing
to forsake sin and serve the commandments of God.
DAY OF PENTECOST. The birthday of the Church, when God's
Spirit came to start ingathering the first fruits of His children
for the first resurrection.
FEAST OF TRUMPETS. Depicting the seven trumpets of
Revelation, but especially the Last Trumpet when Jesus Christ
will literally return to this earth.
DAY OF ATONEMENT. The chaining up of Satan to deceive the
nations no more for a thousand years, the world now at one with
God.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES. The whole earth under the government
or Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. A thousand years of
peace, joy, health and salvation for all nations.
THE LAST GREAT FEAST. All of the millions who were never
given an opportunity before for salvation, raised up and offered
God's Spirit and His word.
Then comes the second death and lake of fire for those who
will not accept the grace of God (Rev.20:14-15).
"And I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH the HOLY CITY, NEW
JERUSALEM, coming down from God out of heaven.......behold the
tabernacle of God is with men, and HE will DWELL with THEM, and
they shall be His people, and God HIMSELF shall be with THEM, and
be their God, and there shall be no more death...... BEHOLD I
MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.......FOR THESE WORDS ARE TRUE AND FAITHFUL"
( Rev. 21:1 - 5 ).
SO IT IS WRITTEN, SO SHALL IT BE! AMEN AND AMEN.
...................
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