The Great Judgment Day, Part 3

THE GREAT JUDGMENT DAY

Part 3, “The Last Day”

Chapter 1, Part 3 Preview: (Part 1) Most Christians believe that Judgment Day occurs for you the moment that you die. But “NO ONE HAS GONE UP TO HEAVEN EXCEPT YESHUA,” (John 3:13). A minority believes that Judgment Day occurs after “the millennium” for the “firstfruits” (Revelation 14:4), but these “one hundred forty-four thousand” are flesh and blood survivors of the Great Tribulation—with a mission! (Revelation 7:14). So when is Judgment Day?

Actually, the Eighth Day, the Day following the Feast of Tabernacles, commemorates this Judgment Day. It is the final Jubilee year that brings an end to this millennium, as explained in Israel’s Seven Apocalyptic Days, part 5, beginning about 1/3 of the way thru the segment.

Isaiah 4 describes the time period immediately after of the Day of Yehovah (the Lord). It’s about Israel finding “her” way back to the Promised Land. “Her” being the operative word, since women, after all of the fighting, will apparently outnumber men by seven to one! (Imagine how many men must die even if not one women died!

Isaiah 4:1-4 Seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread, and wear our own clothing: only let us be called by your name. Take away our reproach.” 2 In that day, [Yehovahs] branch will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the beauty and glory of the survivors of Israel. 3 It will happen, that he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even everyone who is written among the living in Jerusalem; 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its midst, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning. WEB

He will “by the spirit of judgment” separate those worthy to live on from those who should die. “And by the spirit of burning” He will purge the earth of it’s “filth”.

Revelation 22:11-12 Anyone who is unjust [knowingly not willing to obey all ten of the commandments] will continue to do evil; and anyone who is filthy [the thoroly wicked who have no desire to love their neighbors] will remain filthy; and anyone who is righteous will remain righteous [obeying the last six naturally discerned commandments]; and anyone who is dedicated will remain dedicated. 12 I will come quickly! My compensation is with Me, to give to everyone according to what they have done. —The Testimony of Yeshua, Gabriel Version (GV)

The meaning of the Seventh Day of the Feast of Tabernacles could not have been understood until Yeshua (Jesus*) explained it on the very occasion of the Last Day of the Feast. His discourse on that feast Day solved the mystery of the significance of the day! This is the announcement of a new beginning. There is some duality here. Yeshua spoke of the dedicated spirit being given, yet is was “not yet given” to His Assembly—in fact there was no Assembly (or “Church”*) until the Pentecost after He died. In a similar way, when the announcement to the rest of the world comes that Satan is being removed and that salvation is near, the universal presence of the dedicated spirit will still “not yet” be extant.

The Last (7th) Great Day portrays the time when the people of the earth will all begin to seek to please God—particularly when people see how many unbelievers will die when they oppose God! There is very good news accompanying these end time events, it concerns “ANYONE” and “EVERYONE” who is willing to change. When is the Last Great Day?

John 7:37-38 On THE LAST DAY, THAT GREAT DAY OF THE FEAST, [clue] Yeshua stood and spoke out, “If anyone thirsts, they should come to Me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scriptures have said, ‘Out of their innermost being will flow rivers of living water’”. GV

This next verse is for the Saints who have already died:

John 6:40 Because My Father’s will is that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in Him, will have eternal Life; and I will RAISE them UP ON THE LAST DAY”. GV

“The Last Day” is also the time period when God will raise US up!

John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me, draws them; then I will raise them from the dead ON THE LAST DAY. GV

The word “day” as used here is the Greek word “hemera”, Strong’s , and one of it’s usages is defined by the Online Bible Greek Lexicon as: “of the last day of this present age, the day [the Messiah] will return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment, and perfect his kingdom”. Metaphorically, in Greek as in English, “day” can mean a period of time, as our expression: “In my day”, meaning in my younger days, “I did such and such”.

John 6:54 but anyone who eats My body, and drinks My blood has eternal Life; and I will raise them from the dead on the Last Day. GV

Hopefully this includes you!

Yeshua taught “meat in due season”, but these times are also “opportunities” for failure:

John 12:48 48 Whoever rejects Me, and doesnt accept My teaching, has something to judge him—the teachings that I reveal will judge them on the Last Day. GV

Eternal Judgment also will occur on this same Last (Great) Day, for those who have rejected the dedicated spirit.

Isaiah spoke about the future Day of Salvation.

Isaiah 49:8 In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages.

Yet Paul quoted this verse and insisted that:

2 Corinthians 6:2 He has said, “In an acceptable time [1] have I heard you, and in a day of life I have helped you”. Look, now is an acceptable time! Look, now is a day of life! GV

[1] An “acceptable time” is a reference to the Jubilee Year. Yeshua apparently began His earthly mission on a Jubilee year (27 AD), and His next earthly mission will be on a Jubilee year!

If you are drawing breath then “now” is your “time”.

During Yeshua’s Last Great Day discourse He explained what that annual Feast Day was intended to portray:

John 7:39 But He said this about the spirit, that those who believe in Him would receive, since the spirit had not yet been given, because Yeshua had not yet become radiant. GV

Being begotten of God became much more prevalent beginning with the arrival of the dedicated spirit. During the fifth and sixth Millennium, beginning on Pentecost of 31 AD, and continuing until the Everlasting Kingdom comes, is our opportunity to qualify to be leaders in the Kingdom of God. In the Seventh millennium, the Saints will have their Day of ultimate Salvation. This is not to imply that this particular “Millennium” is the end of anything other than the first “millennial week”. In Yeshua’s Last Great Day dialogue He stated:

John 7:37-38 On the Last Day, that Great Day of the Feast, Yeshua stood and spoke out, “If anyone thirsts, they should come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scriptures have said, ‘Out of their innermost being will flow rivers of living water’”.

This Last Great Day promise of eternal life is applicable to anyone when it is his or her Day of Salvation. However, Yeshua was comparing our “day of salvation” to the time of the restoration of all things by using the living river reference of Ezekiel, that says:

Ezekiel 47:9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.

Timing? The near future when God will “restore the earth.”

The Great Judgment Day that I have compiled these many Bible verses on is often referred to as “The Great White Throne Judgment”, adapted from Revelation 20:11. I use the term “Great Judgment Day” to avoid confusion with possible preconceived notions that you may be accustomed to when “White Throne” is mentioned. The timing of this event can be determined by closely comparing the 21st century events which occur in Revelation 20:11 thru 21:8, to other references concerning the same scriptural events, found elsewhere, that are exactly “dated” by their context, as I’ll explain.

1 Corinthians 15 is known as the “Resurrection Chapter”, and for good reason:

1 Corinthians 15:22-25 Just as it was with Adam, everyone dies, so also by the Messiah, everyone will be restored to Life, 23 but everyone in their order; Messiah, the firstfruit [Pentecost]; later, at His coming [Trumpets], those who are the Messiah’s. 24 Then the end [the Eighth Day] of these events comes, when He’ll have handed over the Kingdom to Yehovah the Father; when every ruler, and every government, and every powerful force will have been overthrown. 25 For He [Yeshua] must rule until He [Yehovah] vanquishes all of His enemies. GV

Daniel elaborated about the exact time when “He puts all things under His feet”. Every trace of opposition to God will be crushed within one year! It wont take God a thousand years to conquer the earth, but opposition will occasionally try to creep back in:

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these [beast power] kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and [God’s kingdom] shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Daniel 7:13-14 I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven! He [Yeshua] came to the Ancient of Days, [the Father] and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. His dominion is an everlasting dominion....

Did you notice that both Yeshua and the Ancient of Days are present after the Kingdoms of this earth are destroyed and the Everlasting Kingdom is “set up”?

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

The monumental concept of death being destroyed is repeated later in the same chapter.

1 Corinthians 15:50-55 Friends, I tell you that flesh and blood cant inherit the Kingdom of the Heavens, nor can the perishable inherit perpetuity. 51 See, I’ll explain to you a mystery; we’ll not all die, but we’ll all be transformed. 52 In the smallest possible fraction of a second [atomos], at the last [seventh] trumpet; the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be transformed. 53 This perishable must be clothed with [see v.37] the imperishable; and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 So when this perishable is clothed with the imperishable, and this mortal is clothed with immortality; [Saints, at the Feast of Trumpets!] THEN the written word will be accomplished: “Death [for the Saints!] is devoured in victory. 55 O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory”? GV

1 Corinthians 15:20-27,54 But now the Messiah has risen from the dead, and has become the first person born from the dead. 21 Since one man brought about death, so another man brought about the resurrection of the dead. 22 Just as it was with Adam, everyone dies, so also by the Messiah, everyone will be restored to Life, 23 but everyone in their order; Messiah, the firstfruit; later, at His coming, those who are the Messiah’s. 24 Then the end of these events comes, when He’ll have handed over the Kingdom to Yehovah the Father; when every ruler, and every government, and every powerful force will have been overthrown. 25 For [Yeshua] must rule until [Yehovah] vanquishes all of His enemies. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 He [Yehovah] has put everything under [Yeshua’s] command [Presently everything is under the control of humanity: Psalms 8:6]. But when He [Yehovah] said that everything is under His command [as in Psalms 18:7-9], this certainly excludes the One who authorized Him. ... 54 So when this perishable is clothed with the imperishable, and this mortal is clothed with immortality; THEN the written word will be accomplished: “Death is devoured in victory. GV

This is the most convincing statement concerning when “death is devoured”. Death being devoured only pertains to those of us as we are made immortal. Also notice that “the end” in this resurrection chapter is the end of this present age. This age ends, and the Everlasting Kingdom begins for those who themselves have become everlasting! Death is swallowed up in victory, not for all people or for all time, but death is ended for those who have exchanged their “corruptible”“corruptible” bodies for incorruptible ones (v.54)! There are still going to be humans for a thousand more years, if not a literal “thousand generations”, as in Psalms 105:8-10. In a sense, Yeshua has already “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light thru the gospel....” (2 Timothy 1:10). Again, this only pertains to those who have already qualified for “immortality”.

At the Feast of Trumpets we will experience “immortality”. “At the last trumpet ... Death [strictly for Saints] is devoured in victory!” (1 Corinthians 15:52-54) The end of death only pertains to those with a “dedicated calling”. Actually, from God’s perspective, death is already abolished!

His saints are already “saved” and “called”:

2 Timothy 1:9-11 who will Rescue us from perishing, and has called us by name with a dedicated invitation; not because of our works, but because of His will, and His compassion that was given to us in Yeshua the Messiah BEFORE THE TIME [chronos] OF ETERNITY, 10 and has now been plainly revealed by the epiphany [Gr. epiphaneia: appearance] of our Life Giver, Yeshua the Messiah; WHO WILL ABOLISH DEATH, AND BRING REAL LIFE AND IMMORTALITY to light, as a result of the Good News 11 that I have been commissioned as a herald of, as an envoy, and a teacher of the Nations. GV

There is apparently a distinction made between commandment keeping Saints who were serving God prior to the end time events, who will meet up with God in the clouds of the earth and those “new” Believers who are in the process of being brought to their senses during the Great Tribulation.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 Because if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, we also believe that, thru Yeshua, Yehovah will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. 15 We declare this to you on the Master’s own authority, that we who survive and are alive, at the coming of our Master, will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep [into the Kingdom]. 16 Because our Master will personally come down from Heaven, with a mandate, and with a voice like the chief Messenger, and with Yehovahs trumpet [or shout]; and the dead who belong to the Messiah, will rise first. 17 Then, we who are still alive, having survived, will be carried away together with them into the clouds, to meet our Master in the lower atmosphere; and this is how we will accompany our Master forever. GV

In the near future, millions of other people will be choosing life and not death!

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live....

God’s plan began before He created time, however He didnt predestine our fates individually. Paul still had ... “anticipation of eternal Life, that Yehovah made an absolute, even BEFORE ETERNITY ITSELF BEGAN.” (Titus 1:2, also see Philemon 3:12-16)

Living in the Everlasting Kingdom will not a free ticket to eternal life, it is a “free sample” of life. The entire subject of Isaiah 25 is about the end of human rule. God is going to “destroy ... the veil that is spread over all nations”—the obstacle blocking their view of the Kingdom!” (v.7). It is in this context that “He will devour death forever and Yehovah will wipe away tears from all faces” [1]. (v.8) Yet Moab shall be trampled down under Him! (v.10) The elimination of all tears is a new thing and this prophecy’s meaning is fulfilled during the Feast of Tabernacles. The previous verse declares: “Yehovah of Hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees.” (v.6) This is the beginning of the Everlasting Kingdom:

[1] The cessation of tears and death is at the very beginning of the Everlasting Kingdom. Compare to Isaiah 25:6-11, particularly v.8. Yet the wicked are excluded from this blessing, as mentioned in John 21:8.

Isaiah 30:19-21 also firmly establishes that the total cessation of tears is associated with our new beginning, when we will be saying: “This is the way, walk in it.” (v.21) We have now established the twenty-first century time sequences of two prophesied events, namely, the elimination of death and consequently, no more reason for us to cry tears of sorrow. Mortal humans, however will not be immune from death yet, but a righteous person who dies at the age of one hundred will be thought of as having died a “child”! (Isaiah 65:20)

I want to return to the only chapter concerning The Judgment Day, with reference to a “white throne”. The only totally unique information in Revelation 20:11-15 is that we learn that God’s throne is white! There is however another clue to the timing of The Judgment Day. “I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne...” (v.12) Compare the phrase “small and great” to the other places where it is used in the Bible.

Revelation describes the Seventh Trumpet:

Revelation 11:15-18 The seventh Messenger sounded; and there were voices and thunders, that said, “The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Yehovah and of His the Messiah; and They will reign forever and ever”. 16 The twenty four Elders who are before the throne of Yehovah, and who sit on their thrones, fell to their faces, and worshiped Yehovah, 17 saying, “We praise you, O Yehovah Almighty, who is, and was; because You’ve assumed Your great power, and reigned. 18 The nations were angry; and Your anger has come, and it’s time for the dead to be judged; and for You to compensate Your servants, the prophets, and the Saints, and those who fear Your name, the small and the great; and also to destroy those who are destroying the earth. GV

Timing: Day of Yehovah.

Revelation 13:11-16 describes “I saw another Wild Beast coming out of the earth. He has two horns like those of a lamb ... 16 He caused everyone, great and small, rich and poor, bond and free, to receive a mark on their right hands, or on their foreheads; GV”

Timing: Great Tribulation.

Revelation also describes when God will judge the harlot:

Revelation 19:2-5,18 True and righteous are His judgments; because He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth ... 5 A voice came from the throne, saying, “All of His servants; and everyone who fears Him, small and great, praise Yehovah”. ... Eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains of thousands, the flesh of valiant men, the flesh of horses and their riders, the flesh of everyone free-born and slaves, both low ranking and high [or small and great]. GV

Timing: Day of Yehovah. Association alone, concerning these “small and great” statements, should indicate the timing of the “white throne” judgment.

The best news about the Kingdom of God is that we will not have to wait any longer for the “good news”. The Great Judgment Day will initiate the Everlasting Kingdom. Within the lifetime of many of us, both God the Father and the Son will be ruling a “New” Earth (Greek: “renewed”). The “New” (renewed) Jerusalem will descend out of a Renewed Heaven. Yeshua’s followers will have conquered Death, and many of our uninformed ancestors will be “excused” (pardoned) and made “equal to the angels” having already proved their willingness to obey the “golden rule”. For the time being, I believe that on Judgment Day the wicked will be resurrected in a physical state, just long enough to face their maker and then receive their punishment. Destiny is determined in part upon what you know. Verse 48 summarizes a primary principle about what you “know”: “to whom much is given, from him much will be required!” If everyone who was a transgressor of the law received the death sentence, then why would some receive just a few stripes? There is absolutely no doubt that Yeshua was teaching about the Judgment Day in the following passages! Some are greatly rewarded, some die, some are severely punished, and some are lightly punished as they begin their lives again in the Kingdom.

Luke 12:42-48 Yeshua replied, “Who then is that faithful and wise administrator, who his master will put in charge of his entire household, to give them their allotments at the proper times? 43 The master’s servants will be elated when he comes, and he finds them still serving! 44 Most certainly, he will put him in charge of all of his possessions. 45 But if the head servant thinks to himself, ‘My master delays his coming’; and begins to strike the men and women servants, and begins to wine and dine and get drunk; 46 that servant’s master will come on a day when he is not expecting him, and at a time of day that he does not suspect, and will cut him in two; and will compensate him along with the unfaithful. 47 The servant who knew his master’s will, and didnt prepare for him according to his will, will be beaten with many stripes. [but not death] 48 But the one who didnt know, yet did something deserving stripes, will be beaten with fewer stripes. Because to anyone who is given much, much is required; and to whoever much is entrusted, still more will be required of them. GV

The wicked will be purged out and no longer exist. (Ezekiel 20:38) Any rebellious new troublemakers will be terminated promptly. Immediately after the “thousand years”, following the resurrection of “the rest of the dead” who live and die within that period, God will award eternal life to another group of people who hungered and thirsted for righteousness.

These people will live into the one thousand year long Sabbath (the first such week of many).

Suppose that there were a judge who only offered two possible outcomes to people who were brought to him for judgment. It didnt matter if the crime was a traffic ticket or murder, he only offered two outcomes. Those receiving verdict number one would be awarded a large cash settlement ranging from one to ten million dollars. Those receiving verdict number two would be burned at the stake! Such a judge would be insanely unfair most of the time, regardless of which outcome he chose. This is of course ludicrous and would never happen in any country in the world, yet this is the exact form of “righteous judgment” that we are told that Yeshua will pronounce upon anyone whom He has called during these last 6000 years! This is true whether you buy into the Heaven/Hell doctrines or if you have partial understanding about either being placed in the very top positions of leadership in God’s family structure and receiving one to ten cities to rule over, in at least the first thousand years of the Everlasting Kingdom, as opposed to being burned to a crisp! Those whom God has called are not people who have all righteous character or no character. However, there is every shade of intermediate character imaginable. I tend to believe that most of those who truly have God’s dedicated spirit are about as black as they are white, you seldom see the “extremes”, so there are a lot of borderline cases—much to good to burn, but not good enough to become the Kings and Priests that God would place in the highest ruling positions of His Kingdom.

John 15:6 If anyone doesnt stay with Me, they are thrown away like a withered branch. People will pick it up, and toss it in the fire to be burned. GV

This prevents contamination.

Every Christian professing organization that I am aware of promises either the millions of dollars or the fiery stake.

If you wonder whether Heaven or Earth is the reward of the saved, you should check out Scripture List 1. If you wonder where God the Father will spend the next 1,000 years, then you should read Yehovah and His Messiah.

Former WCG?

Many of the people who write to me concerning information found on this site were once a part of the late Herbert Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God. The following comments address some of the inconsistencies of his explanations of end time prophecy.

TIMING: Why did the Worldwide Church of God mistakenly determine that “the Great White Throne Judgment” (Revelation 20:11), as they termed it, should follow “the Millennium”? How did the church determine that New Jerusalem, and God the Father Himself, were also put on hold for 1000 years? Why had they taught the idea that the New Heavens and New Earth were part of the distant future? Indeed, why did they describe a fiery ending of the world, when the relevant verses actually all describe the devastation of the Day of Yehovah? Would the destruction of the earth following the restoration of all things, and “the millennium”, be a sane thing to do?

All of these “postponements” and errors were based on a series of assumptions—all of which were wrong!

Assumption #1:

Herbert Armstrong always assumed that anyone whom God had not called within the six thousand years to be king and priests in the Kingdom of God must at some future time be physically resurrected as humans and judged similarly to the way that we were, over the course of a lifetime. He taught that they would be given a better opportunity to please God. This was based entirely upon wishful thinking centering on Ezekiel 37’s dry bones! For a brief recap of the Book of Ezekiel, the first 36 chapters describe the ancient demise of Israel and contrast it to the time when the nation of Israel will be metaphorically brought back from the dead! Ezekiel 36, the very context of which the “dry bones” refer, perfectly and succinctly illustrates the purpose of the book of Ezekiel. Notice below the context immediately preceding “dem” dry bones is about the restoration of the “lost Ten Tribes”! Judah is included beginning in verse 15 in an analogy about healing a broken stick. (No, the stick is not literally resurrected either.)

Ezekiel 36:6-36 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations…8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.... 10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11 I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. 12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children ... [situation rectified!]. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds ... [preparatory to the metaphoric “resurrection” of Israel] 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 33 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.

Ironically, the WCG did understand the coming restoration of the nation of Israel, and yet still tried to force the figurative language of the dry bones into meaning a physical resurrection of all of mankind. The confusion was further compounded by their teaching that this so called “resurrection” would take place 1000 years after all of the specific prophecies contained within the book of Revelation—a book entirely devoted to envisioning the end of this age and the restoration of Israel—were completed!

The prophecies of the Bible will soon be history, including the message itself about the restoration of Israel. There will be no urgency to respond to a prophetic message! The trials encountered while being a Saint will not be relevant to the people living within the Kingdom. Peer pressure will put people into “the Assembly”! There will be no special callings then; no Assembly of called out ones, the entire world will then be “called”. No jobs or heads will be lost while struggling to please our God. Nothing will be the same for the people living in the Everlasting Kingdom. Satan will be gone and even the wicked people who lived among us will be removed. Their circumstances wont remotely resemble ours!

Assumption #2:

WCG hierarchy always assumed that God could not determine, from observing people’s lives in this age, their fitness for eternal life. Yet no verse in the Bible indicates that God has any trouble determining who the truly wicked are! One reason why the WCG moved the Great White Throne Judgment ahead in time by 1000 years was because it couldnt accept the fact that God will judge much of humanity in the way that most of Yeshua’s parables so clearly describe: “when the son of man returns....” The wicked have no excuse for being wicked!

Romans 1:18-21 Yehovahs wrath is revealed from Heaven against all the unrighteousness and depravity of people who in their wickedness suppress the truth. [suppression of the truth will end during this present age, yet ignorance is not an excuse to be evil!] 19 An awareness of Yehovah is easily discerned, because Yehovah has made it apparent to them. 20 The supernatural things of Yehovah have been apparent to the intellect, since the creation of the cosmos [kosmos], because the physical creation reveals His eternal power as the Supreme Being, leaving them NO EXCUSE. 21 They have some knowledge of Yehovah, but dont praise Him or appreciate His Transcendence, but become morons [moraino], deliberating about their theories, til their minds are darkened—void of understanding. GV

Assumption #3:

Herbert Armstrong taught that the New Heavens and the New Earth would arrive after “the millennium” because the account describing it immediately follows the Great White Throne Judgment, beginning in the next chapter. They assumed that it followed “the millennium” because they already assumed that The Great White Throne Judgment followed “the millennium”! Many of the accounts in the book of Revelation describe events that happen simultaneously. The last chapters fall within the Day of Yehovah. In fact, the entire book of Revelation concerns what John “saw” and “heard” (Revelation 22:8) during the Day of Yehovah!

Revelation 1:10 I was in the spirit realm on Yehovahs day; and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet, that said ... GV

Assumption #4:

WCG then had to have a reason to postpone these wonderful events, so they further assumed that God the Father wouldnt touch us with a zillion mile pole, until we were perfect!

Assumption #5:

The book of Revelation is a book concerning primarily the amazing events of the first third of the 21st century. Even the information about the Seven “Churches” of Revelation 2-3, in hindsight, predominantly deals with seven different groups of latter day commandment keeping people–amid much doctrinal chaos. God told Thyatira to “hold tightly onto what you have UNTIL I COME”, (Revelation 2:25). This approximates what He told the following three Assemblies. These are not “Church eras”—the seven Assemblies all coexist in the end time! All of the major occurrences in the book of Revelation are described as end-of-this-present-evil-age-events in the Hebrew Scriptures. The verses that confused the WCG about timing are found in Revelation 20:1-10, the text contains three events that would have been in the form of footnotes had Revelation been written today. These three things all deal strictly with Satan’s brief future return, judgment and second death. Aside from these clearly labeled, “post millennial” events, we know absolutely nothing specific about developments that take place beyond the thousand years. Here are the comments that tend to lose the casual reader:

Revelation 20:2-3 He seized the dragon, the old serpent, who is the Deceiver and Satan, who deceived the whole world; and he bound him for one thousand years. 3 He cast him into the abyss [abussos], and closed it up and sealed him securely; so that he couldnt deceive the nations anymore, until a thousand years had passed; but after that, he will be released from bondage for a little while. GV

Then the context returns to the Wild Beast during the end time:

Revelation 20:4 I saw thrones, and Saints sat on them, and judgment was given to them, and I saw the bodies of those who were beheaded for the Testimony of Yeshua and for the Words of Aloha. These are the ones who hadnt worshiped the Wild Beast, or his image, nor had they taken the mark on their forehead or on their hand. They lived and reigned with their the Messiah those thousand years. GV

Then, supposedly, in verse 5 there is a second “thousand years footnote”: “The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection”.

Actually only “This is the first resurrection” is original, and should have been part of one of the other verses.

If the “first resurrection” of verse 5 is after “the thousand years”, then why does verse 6 indicate that it precedes the thousand years?

These added words, supposedly the opening words of verse 5 are not in the earliest Syriac and Aramaic manuscripts, or the earliest Greek manuscripts, such as the Codex Sinaitic and Codex Alexandrine. Without this insertion, we see that we never actually left the end time. In verses 5-6 we simply enter the millennium. We are still reading about the “first resurrection”, and our reigning for the 1,000 years. Then in verses 7-10, the actual second footnote takes us “back to the future”, to Satan’s demise. (See Satan’s Second Death.) If you can temporarily overlook these two footnotes, then there is no problem understanding the story flow that moves from the destruction of the Beast power, then to the White Throne Judgment and straight to the New Heavens, the New Earth and the New Jerusalem! Assumption #5 is that the two footnotes about Satan move all of the rest of the information in the book of Revelation ahead by 1,000 years! I’ve read the end of the book and we win—right away!

Assumption #6:

The primary “reason” offered as to why it would require 1,000 years of peace to prepare for the Great White Throne Judgment, a presumed human resurrection, is the fact that there have been “an estimated 50,000,000,000 people” who have lived and died since Adam and Eve were created. Hence, the Judgment period of these people was thought to include too many humans for God to be able to cope with in the aftermath of the Day of Yehovah. The theory was that billions of people would be simultaneously resurrected and in need of food, clothing and shelter at the same time. The solution is that the White Throne Judgment results in a vast number of people actually becoming spirit beings who are “equal to the angels”. WCG spoke of three resurrections, and none of them had to do with anyone becoming equal to the angels!

Timeless Quote: All truth passes thru three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

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