A Survey of Bible Doctrine

Calvary Bible Church Venice

What Does the Future Hold? Dr. Charles Ryrie

Man’s interest in the future is legendary, and many prophets—true and false—have tried to satisfy that interest. Prophesying is a risky business, simply because you can’t stay in business if you have too many failures. The Old Testament commanded that a prophet who failed to speak in the name of the Lord or whose prophecy failed to come to pass should be stoned without mercy (Deu 13:1–11; 18:20–22). In the case of false prophets who might sometimes make accurate predictions (which occasionally happens even today), their message was to be measured against the true commands of the Lord previously given to His people. If they did not measure up, then those prophets were to be stoned also. The Bible, of course, not only contains many prophecies, but through its own prophecies gives assurance of their accuracy. Enough time has elapsed so that many of its predictions can be observed to have been fulfilled accurately, thereby giving assurance that those yet unfulfilled will come to pass exactly as recorded.

Basic Viewpoints Concerning the Future

It goes without saying that all are not agreed on the outline of the future. As a result there have developed in the Christian church three basic viewpoints concerning the interpretation of prophecy. They are all related to God’s covenants with the Jewish people and especially to the covenant made with Abraham.

God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1–3) was later confirmed and amplified (Gen 13:14–17; 15:1–7; 17:1–18). In it were personal promises to Abraham himself that he would be specially blessed in temporal and spiritual things. These, of course, were fulfilled, for he acquired land, servants, cattle, silver, and gold (Gen 13:14–15, 17; 15:7; 24:34–35); and he enjoyed communion with God and was called the friend of God (Gen 18:17; Ja 2:23). These predictions came true exactly as promised.

Promises were also made in that covenant to Abraham’s descendants, the nation of Israel. For one thing, God promised to continue the covenant with Abraham’s children (Gen 17:7), making them a great and innumerable nation (Gen 12:2; 13:16; 15:5). But most interesting in the light of current events was the promise to give Abraham’s descendants, the Jewish people, a particular piece of land whose boundaries were clearly specified for an everlasting possession (Gen 15:18; 17:8).

In the covenant, too, was a promise that concerned all people; namely, that those who blessed Abraham and his descendants would be blessed, and those who cursed them would be cursed. This principle operated during Abraham’s lifetime (Gen 14:12–20; 20:2–18), during the experiences of the children of Israel (Deu 30:7; Is 14:1–2) and will operate during the tribulation period (Mt 25:40). There was also a promise that in Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. This has been fulfilled in God’s using Israel as the channel for giving us the Bible and in sending Christ as the Seed of Abraham (Gal 3:16).

All agree that many of these promises made to Abraham in the covenant have been literally fulfilled. But the promise concerning the occupancy of the land has not been fulfilled, at least not literally. The boundaries were stated as being “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen 15:18). All agree that the eastern boundary is the river Euphrates. Not all agree what is meant by the river of Egypt. Some think it is a reference to the Nile and others relate it to the Wady-el-Arish, not far from Gaza. In either case Israel has not in all her history, nor yet today, occupied the land according to these boundaries.

One of the major questions concerning the Abrahamic covenant is whether its promises are conditioned on obedience or whether they are unconditional. If they were conditioned on the Jews’ faithfulness or goodness, then we may safely assume that all claims to Palestine and other blessings included in the covenant have been forfeited, for certainly the Jewish people have sinned repeatedly. If, on the other hand, the promises were conditioned only on God’s faithfulness, they must be fulfilled in spite of man’s unfaithfulness.

The answer to this question of conditionality or unconditionality is found in an action God took to confirm the covenant that is recorded in Genesis 15:9–17. The Lord solemnized the covenant in the recognized way by sacrificing animals and laying the severed parts on the ground. Ordinarily the two parties to the agreement would walk together between the parts of the sacrifice, but on this occasion there was a striking exception. Instead of both God and Abraham walking between the pieces of the sacrifice, God put Abraham to sleep and passed alone between the parts of the animals. God could hardly have demonstrated more clearly that the keeping of this covenant depended on Him alone.

Furthermore, the covenant was reaffirmed to Abraham’s son, Isaac, and to Isaac’s son Jacob (Gen 26:2–4; 28:13–15). No conditions were attached in either instance, and the reaffirmation was made on the basis of the oath with which God made the covenant with Abraham originally. In addition, it is apparent that Abraham sinned during the years between the making of the covenant and its confirmation to Isaac; so if God had viewed the covenant as conditioned on obedience, He would have had to nullify it because Abraham had been disobedient (Gen 12:10–20). To be sure, some contingencies are involved in the intermediate fulfillments of aspects of the covenant, but the ultimate fulfillment is unconditioned. Throughout Israel’s history, obedience was God’s condition for possessing the land even temporarily and partially, and dispersion was the judgment for disobedience (Deu 28:25; Jer 25:11). However, the ultimate and full fulfillment will be brought about by God, and Israel will then be converted and obedient under the reign of Messiah.

To David and his descendants God also made some important promises in the Davidic Covenant (2 Sa 7:12–16). He promised that Solomon, not David, would build the temple, and that David’s lineage, throne, and kingdom would be established forever. All agree that Christ is the Seed of David who is the ultimate Fulfiller of the promise, for Luke 1:32–33 designates Him as such. These promises concerning the King and the kingdom were often repeated in the Old Testament, the most forceful statement being in Psalm 89 where the Lord warned of chastisement for disobedience but said that the covenant would not be broken or altered in any way (vv. 30–37). Other relevant passages are Isaiah 9:6–7, Jeremiah 23:5–6, Ezekiel 37:24–25, Hosea 3:4–5, Amos 9:11 and Zechariah 14:4–9. Though all agree that Christ is the one who fulfills this covenant—not all agree on when He does. Is He now sitting on the throne of David in heaven? Is the kingdom the church? Or is all of this yet future when Christ will rule over a kingdom on earth? The answers to these questions are the bases for the different viewpoints concerning the picture of the future. The three basically different millennial viewpoints are based on the questions of the unconditional or conditional nature of the Abrahamic covenant and the fulfillment of the kingdom promises of the Davidic Covenant.

POSTMILLENNIALISM

This viewpoint teaches that the second coming of Christ will occur after (post) the millennium. Postmillennialists look for a utopian state on earth to be brought about through the efforts of the church, and during this golden age the church, not Israel, will experience the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham and David. The kingdom will be on earth, but it will be a “church kingdom” not a Jewish kingdom, and the King, Christ, will be absent from the earth, not present on it . He will rule in the hearts of the people and return to the earth only after the millennium is complete. Then will follow a general resurrection of all the dead, a general judgment of all people, and eternity will begin.

Postmillennialism conceives of the unfulfilled Abrahamic promises as being fulfilled by the church and, of course, not in any literal sense. Its method of interpretation is generally to spiritualize prophecy. The postmillennial scheme looks like this:

AMILLENNIALISM

This viewpoint teaches that there will be no millennium at all in the future. Whatever kingdom there is, is now—it is heaven’s rule over the church. Conditions in this present age will become increasingly worse until the second coming of Christ at the end of this church age, and the return of the Lord will be immediately followed by a general resurrection and judgment and the commencement of the eternal state.

Amillennialists have three different ways of explaining the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Some say that the land promises were fulfilled completely during the reign of Solomon who did have much of the promised territory under tribute (1 Ki 4:21). However, he did not possess the total extent of the land, and certainly it was not possessed forever as the covenant promised. Others insist that the covenant was conditional and therefore the unfulfilled promises of the covenant do not have to be fulfilled since Israel was disobedient and thus sinned away her right to the promises. Still others (probably the majority) feel that the church fulfills the promises in a nonliteral way. Christ is now seated on the throne of David in heaven and is fulfilling to the church the necessary essence of the Old Testament promises. Amillennialists seem to feel the force of the importance of doing something with the covenant promises.

Amillennial interpretation spiritualizes the promises made to Israel as a nation when they say that they are fulfilled by the church. According to this view, Revelation 20 describes the scene of souls in heaven during the time between the first and second comings of Christ. The Amillennial scheme looks like this:

PREMILLENNIALISM

Premillennialists hold that the second coming of Christ will occur before (pre) the millennium and that Christ, not the church (as in postmillennialism) will be the one to establish the kingdom. Christ will actually reign over the earth as King, and during the millennium the Jewish people will experience the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and David. According to premillennialism, the present church age will see increasing apostasy which will climax in the time of tribulation before the second coming of Christ. When He returns He will set up His kingdom for 1,000 years after which will occur the resurrection and judgment of the unsaved and the ushering in of eternity.

The premillennial scheme is a result of interpreting the promises and prophecies of Scripture in a plain, normal, or literal way. This is the strength of premillennialism—its method of interpretation is consistently the same whether applied to history, doctrine, or prophecy. It is unwise to take the words of the Bible in a nonliteral sense, particularly when the literal meaning is plain. Those promises to Abraham and David concerned the physical descendants of Abraham. Why, then, expect them to be fulfilled by the church unless Israel no longer means Israel but by some sleight of hand means the church? Since the New Testament continues to distinguish the Jews from the church, it appears that we can expect these promises to be fulfilled through the Jews rather than the church (1 Co 10:32; Ro 11:26). The premillennial scheme looks like this:

The Rapture of the Church

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RAPTURE (JN 14:1–3; 1 CO 15:51–57; 1 TH 4:13–18)

The title “rapture” comes from the Latin word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which is translated in English “caught up.” The rapture of the church is the catching up or translation of the church. It is the catching up to the dwelling place promised in John 14:1–3. In the Corinthians passage Paul says this is a mystery. That word “mystery” ought to be like a red flag reminding us that this is something not known before but now revealed. Resurrection was no mystery, for the Old Testament taught clearly that men would be raised from the dead (Job 19:25; Is 26:19; Dan 12:2), but it did not reveal that a number of people would go into God’s presence without experiencing death. That is why “we shall not all sleep” is a mystery (1 Co 15:51). At the rapture some mortals (living) will only need to put on immortality, while those whose bodies have seen corruption (dead) will need to put on incorruption through resurrection. Both routes to heaven involve change—the living need to be translated and the dead raised. The last generation of Christians will not experience death.

These changes will occur “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” The rapture will be instantaneous, not gradual, for the Greek word translated “moment” is the term from which our word “atom” comes. Because when the atom was discovered it was thought to be indivisible, it was named “atom.” Even though the atom has been split, the word still means “indivisible,” and indicates that the rapture will occur in an indivisible instant of time. Furthermore, Paul says that we shall all be changed, not part of the company of believers.

Thus 1 Corinthians 15:51–58 teaches three things: (1) The rapture will include not only the bodily resurrection of those believers who have died, but also the changing of the bodies of those who are alive at the time it happens. (2) It will be instantaneous. (3) It will include all believers, not simply some of them.

But it is 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 that gives the most detail about what will happen when the Lord returns. Four things are featured in this passage:

1. Christ Himself will return (v. 16), and the attendant circumstances will include all the grandeur His personal presence deserves. There will be a shout of command, the voice of an (not the) archangel, and the trumpet of God.

2. There will be a resurrection (v. 16). The dead will be raised and the living changed, all in the twinkling of an eye. However, only the dead in Christ and living Christians will experience the rapture, not all people. There is not one general resurrection, but several, this one involving only believers.

3. There will be a rapture (v. 17). The word means the act of conveying a person from one place to another, and is therefore quite properly used in this passage of conveying living persons to heaven (see 2 Co 12:4).

4. 4. There will be reunions (v. 17) both with loved ones who have previously died in the Lord and with the

Lord Himself. And all these reunions will be forever.

THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE

Almost all agree that the rapture is to be distinguished from the second coming in the sense that the former is when Christ comes for His own people and the latter is His coming with them in triumph and glory. But how far apart these two events are in time is the disputed question. Amillennialists believe that they both occur at the close of the tribulation days but that the rapture is immediately followed by the second coming (which is immediately followed by eternity without any millennium). Among premillennialists there are four views of the time of the rapture.

Posttribulation view. The posttribulationalists teach the same thing as amillennialists concerning the chronological relation of the rapture and the second coming (except that in posttribulationalism the second coming is followed by the millennium). According to this viewpoint the church will be present on earth during the tribulation period, and the comings for and with His saints occur in quick succession at the close of that period.

Their principal arguments for this are:

1. The rapture and the second coming are described in the Scriptures by the same words, which indicates that they occur at the same time (1 Th 4:15 and Mt 24:27).

2. Since saints are mentioned as present during the tribulation days, the church is present on earth during that time (Mt 24:22).

3. It is predicted that a resurrection will occur at the beginning of the millennium, and since it is assumed that this is the same resurrection as that which occurs at the rapture, the rapture will take place just before the millennium (Rev 20:4).

4. The church can and will be preserved from the wrath of the tribulation period by supernatural protection while living through that time and not by deliverance from the period (as Israel was protected from the plagues while living in Egypt).

4. The Scriptures do not teach imminency; therefore, the rapture can be after the known events of the tribulation.

5. Posttribulationalism was the position of the early church.

Midtribulation. The midtribulationalists believe that Christ’s coming for His people will occur at the middle point of the tribulation period—that is 3 1/2 years after it begins and 3 1/2 years before the end at which time the Lord will return with His saints to set up His millennial kingdom.

The arguments for this concept are:

1. The last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15, and it is sounded at the middle of the tribulation.

2. Actually, the great tribulation is only the last half of Daniel’s seventieth week, and the church is promised deliverance only from that (Rev 11:2; 12:6).

3. The resurrection of the two witnesses pictures the rapture of the church, and their resurrection occurs at the middle of the tribulation (Rev 11:11).

Partial rapture. The partial rapturists teach that only those believers who are worthy will be taken out of the world before the tribulation begins, while others will be left to endure its wrath. For those left on earth, that time will serve as a time of purging. The idea is taken from verses like Hebrews 9:28 which seem to require preparedness as a prerequisite for meeting the Lord. The viewpoint is based on the idea that good works are necessary in order to qualify to be raptured, but the question is not answered, how many good works? Also, it seems to ignore the fact that 1 Corinthians 15:51 (ASV) says plainly that “we shall all be changed” in the rapture.

Pretribulation. The pretribulationalists hold that the rapture of the church will take place before the entire seven-year tribulation period begins. Then, seven years later, after the conclusion of the tribulation, the Lord will return to earth with His people to set up His millennial kingdom. Pretribulationalists base their conclusions on these arguments:

1. The tribulation is called “the great day of his wrath” (Rev 6:17). Believers, who know the Deliverer from the wrath to come (1 Th 1:10), are assured that God has not appointed them to wrath (1 Th 5:9). Since in the context of this latter verse Paul was speaking about the beginning of the day of the Lord or of the tribulation period (1 Th 5:2), it seems clear that he is saying that Christians will not be present during any part of that time of wrath but will be removed before any of it begins. That could only be true if the rapture is before the tribulation.

2. The risen Lord promised the church at Philadelphia to “keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev 3:10). Pretribulationalists relate this promise, like promises made in other letters to local churches, to the whole church (though obviously it will be experienced only by believers living when Christ comes), and they understand that the “hour of temptation” refers to the tribulation since it is said in the verse to be worldwide. Posttribulationalists claim that this promise (which they also relate to the tribulation) means only that Christians will be protected from the judgments of the tribulation, even though they will have to live through the time. However, it is important to notice that the promise is not only to keep from (and the preposition does mean from, not in) the trouble, but to keep from the hour (or time) of trouble. That seems to say complete exemption from being anywhere around during the time. It is well known that the phrase “keep from” is used only twice in the New Testament—here and in John 17:15. In the latter reference the Lord prayed that believers would be kept from the evil one, which prayer is answered by delivering us from the power of darkness and transferring us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col 1:13). It is impossible to conceive of being in the location where something is happening and being exempt from the time of the happening. Furthermore, since the tribulation will be worldwide, exemption would necessitate removal from the earth before it begins.

Now, if the posttribulationalists be correct, then this promise will have to be reinterpreted in some other way by them, for many saints in the tribulation days will not be protected from the persecutions while living through the period, for we know that many will die for their faith (Rev 6:9–11; 7:9–14; 14:1–3; 15:1–3).

2. Second Thessalonians 2:1–12 sets up an important chronological sequence. Paul says that the day of the Lord cannot come (i.e., the tribulation cannot begin) until certain things happen (v. 3). One is that the man of sin must be revealed first (v. 3). But the man of sin cannot be revealed until something (v. 6, where the neuter is used) and someone (v. 7, where the masculine is used) are taken out of the way. Then and only then can the man of sin appear to do his evil work. Whatever or whoever the restrainer is, he is holding back the full manifestation of the man of sin. The Thessalonians knew what or who the restrainer is. In addition, it appears that he must be stronger than Satan since the man of sin is empowered by Satan. Most commentators identify the restrainer with the Roman Empire of Paul’s day with its advanced legal system. But was it or is any government more powerful than Satan? Only God is that, so behind whatever things that restrain must be the all-powerful person of God who Himself restrains. Undoubtedly God uses good government, elect angels, the influence of the Bible, and other means to restrain evil, but the ultimate power behind anything that restrains must be the power and person of God. Many pretribulationalists identify the Holy Spirit as the particular Person of the Godhead whose work it is to restrain (see Gen 6:3). Whether Paul is specifically referring to the Holy Spirit in this passage may be uncertain. However, whether we can make that specific identification or not does not affect the pretribulation argument from this passage.

It goes like this:

The Restrainer is God, and the principal instrument of restraint is the God-indwelt church (see Eph 4:6; Gal 2:20; 1 Co 6:19). Our Lord declared of the divinely indwelt and empowered church that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). The restrainer must be removed before the man of sin can be revealed and before the day of the Lord can begin. Since the Restrainer is ultimately God, and since God indwells all believers, either He must be withdrawn from the hearts of His people while they are left on earth to go through the tribulation, or else when He is withdrawn, all believers must be taken with Him in the rapture. The Bible nowhere even hints that Christians can be disindwelt, so the only alternative is that they will be taken out of the world before the tribulation begins. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit will not be working during that time. His presence will be here, but His residence will be removed when the church is taken. To say that the Restrainer is removed is not to say that the presence or activity of God is taken away from the earth. Many will be redeemed during the tribulation and this will be the work of God (Rev 7:14). Thus a proper interpretation of this passage involves a pretribulation rapture of the church.

The Tribulation Period

The Bible says a great deal in both Old and New Testaments about the tribulation period—more than about many other doctrines.

ITS LENGTH

The period is the seventieth week of Daniel’s great prophecy recorded in Daniel 9:24–27. Half of the time is said to be 42 months or 1,260 days (Rev 11:2–3). This, of course, is based on 30-day months which has sometimes been considered as an invention of students of prophecy. Notice, however, that 30-day months are found in nonprophetic passages such as Genesis 7:11, 24 and 8:4, and Numbers 20:29, Deuteronomy 34:8 and 21:13 where a 30-day period of mourning was called a full month. This 7-year period is divided into two equal parts by the breaking of the treaty which will be made at the beginning (Dan 9:27). Both parts will be characterized by intense persecution and judgment.

ITS UNIQUENESS

Our Lord spoke of the tribulation days as unique in the entire history of the world (Mt 24:21). Of course there have been many difficult times since these words were spoken, the Lord Himself even warning that His followers would have tribulation in this world (Jn 16:33). What is it then that makes this coming period unique?

Two characteristics will distinguish the tribulation from all other times of persecution and judgment that the world has seen. First, it will be worldwide, not localized (Rev 3:10). Therefore, terrible as they are, the persecutions which people are experiencing in parts of the world today cannot indicate that the tribulation has come, for that time will affect the entire world. Second, the tribulation will be unique because then people will not only realize that the end of the world is near but they will act like it. In one of the early judgments, men will hide themselves in the dens and caves of the mountains and say, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev 6:16). Often men have talked as if the end were near. Many even today use the word Armageddon as a symbol of the end. But people are not acting as if they really believed that the end is at hand. Real estate is changing hands and savings are being accumulated as if life will continue indefinitely. When the tribulation comes, men will prefer death to life, for the future will hold no attraction.

ITS DESCRIPTION

The tribulation actually begins when the man of sin, the leader of the western federation of nations, signs a treaty with the Jewish people (Dan 9:27). The rapture of the church will have occurred just before this, though there may be a short interval of time between the rapture and the signing. It is the signing that actually begins the countdown of the seven years. There are three series of judgments recorded in Revelation 6, 8–9, 16. Probably they are successive, following one another in chronological sequence (rather than some of them recapitulating what has already been revealed). If so, then the seal judgments of chapter 6 will come during the first years of the tribulation. They involve war, famine, death, martyrdom, and disturbances in the physical universe.

At the same early part of the period the great ecumenical apostate church will rise to power (Rev 17:3), exerting tremendous political influence among the nations of the world. In addition there will be many converted by the witness of the group that will be sealed (Rev 7) for this purpose. Some will apparently be martyred almost immediately for their faith (Rev 6:9–11). All of this was indicated by the Lord in the Olivet discourse (Mt 24:4–14—the judgment, vv. 6–7; the martyrs, v. 9; the witnessing, v. 14).

As the middle of the tribulation approaches, certain important events will occur. Egypt will be defeated by the armies of the man of sin (Dan 11:40–43). The nations of the Far East will be forming into a coalition and will at the end of the tribulation move into Palestine. The power bloc to the north of Palestine known as Gog and Magog will invade Palestine but will be wiped out by God’s supernatural intervention (Eze 38–39). Exactly at the middle point the man of sin will break his treaty, cease to be Israel’s protector, demand to be worshiped himself (2 Th 2:4), and seek to conquer the world. In the meantime, as the latter part of the tribulation progresses, God will be pouring out additional judgments on the world. These are described in the trumpets of Revelation 8–9 and the bowls of chapter 16. They include more disturbances in the physical universe, including the water supply of people, mass deaths, demonic persecution, pain and sores, and widespread havoc and destruction. As the man of sin continues his march to world power, he will face his enemies from the east at Armageddon in northern Palestine. In the midst of the war the Lord will return and defeat all His enemies. The man of sin and his false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever.

Why must there be such a time as this? There are at least two reasons: First, the wickedness of man must be punished. Even though God may seem to be doing nothing about evil now, someday He will act openly against it. Second, man must, by one means or another, be prostrated before the King of kings and Lord of lords. He may do so voluntarily now by coming to Christ in faith and receiving salvation, or he will have to bow later but then only to receive condemnation, not salvation.

The Millennial Kingdom

ITS CHARACTER

The millennial kingdom is that period of 1,000 years during which our Lord Jesus Christ will rule the earth in righteousness and will fulfill to the Jews and the world those promises of the Old Testament covenants. While the duration of that kingdom as 1,000 years is stated in only one passage (Rev 20, but 6 times in the chapter), the kingdom is the subject of many verses in both Old and New Testaments. The subject is not confined—as is often charged—to one chapter in a book of the Bible that is difficult to interpret.

The kingdom is designated in the Bible in various ways. It is called the kingdom that is coming in the Lord’s prayer (Mt 6:10), the kingdom of God (Lk 19:11), the kingdom of Christ (Rev 11:15), the regeneration (Mt 19:28), the times of refreshing (Ac 3:19), and the world to come (Heb 2:5). Our Lord indicated in the parable of Luke 19:11–27 that the kingdom would not be set up immediately, implying clearly that something else (the church) would come first in the plan of God before the kingdom would be established.

ITS GOVERNMENT

The millennial government will, of course, be set up on this earth (Zec 14:9). The topography of the earth will have been changed by the time the kingdom becomes functional because of the catastrophic judgments of the tribulation period (earthquakes, drastic climatic changes, etc.). The city of Jerusalem will be the center of the government (Is 2:3). That city will be exalted (Zec 14:10); it will be a place of great glory (Is 24:23); the site of the temple will be there (Is 33:20); and Jerusalem will be the joy of the whole earth (Ps 48:2). Furthermore, though now the center of so much dispute and conflict, in the millennium Jerusalem will never again need to fear for her safety (Is 26:1–4). From that capital shall go forth the law, and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Is 2:3; 11:9).

The Lord will be the King of the millennial theocracy. As King, He will rule all the earth (Dan 7:14), and the result will be perfect and complete justice for all His subjects. He will punish sin (Is 11:4; 65:20), and He will judge in perfect righteousness (Is 11:3–5). This is the secret of peace on earth—a Ruler who can enforce peace righteously. Apparently the Lord will use resurrected David as a regent (Jer 30:9; Eze 37:24–25)—a prince under the authority of the King. Authority over the twelve tribes of Israel will be vested in the hands of the twelve apostles (Mt 19:28), and other princes and nobles will likewise share in the governmental duties (Jer 30:21; Is 32:1). Many lesser people will have responsibilities in various departments of the millennial government (Lk 19:11–27).

The subjects of this earthly kingdom will be the people, Jews and Gentiles, who survive the tribulation period and enter the millennium in earthly bodies. It would appear that at the beginning, then, there will be not a single unsaved person in the kingdom. However, it will not be long—perhaps only minutes—before a baby is born, then another, and another, until in just a few years there will be a large number of teenagers in the kingdom. Some will accept Christ as their Saviour, and others will not, though all, whether regenerated or not, will have to give outward allegiance to the authority of the King. The church will rule with Christ and will have resurrection bodies. They will not be subject to physical limitations nor will they contribute to space, food, or governmental problems during the millennium. The actual residence of the church during the millennium will be the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2, 9–10).

ITS SPIRITUAL CHARACTER

It is sometimes said that the millennial kingdom cannot be spiritual because it is earthly, but, of course, there need be no contradiction between the two ideas. A Christian today living on earth is expected to be spiritual. Actually, during the millennium God will join the spiritual and earthly in a final display of His glory on this earth, and the kingdom will show the highest standards of spirituality.

Some of the spiritual characteristics of the kingdom include the following: Righteousness will flourish (Is 11:3–5), peace will be universal (Is 2:4), the Holy Spirit will be manifest in unusual ways (Is 61:3; Joel 2:28–29), and Satan will be bound (Rev 20:2–3). Some believe that the temple will be rebuilt during the millennium and used for worship with animal sacrifices. Ezekiel 40–46 does seem to indicate this, though the question is often asked, What purpose will such sacrifices serve, since Christ will be actually present on the earth? Perhaps the answer to that question escapes us simply because we do not fully understand all that will be involved in the spiritual worship of the kingdom.

ITS SOCIAL JUSTICE

A theocratic rule of righteousness and justice will include ramifications in the area of social justice during the millennium. No longer will courts have to depend on the usual avenues of evidence—the eyes and ears—which are subject to error, because Christ will judge accurately on the basis of His complete knowledge of everything (Is 11:3–5). No crime will go unpunished; oppression will not be allowed to continue; costs for law enforcement will be drastically cut (thus reducing taxes); and world peace will eliminate expenditures for military purposes.

In addition, the productivity of the earth will be greatly increased (Is 35:1–2) because the curse to which the earth was subjected after the sin of Adam (Gen 3:17) will be reversed, though it will not be entirely lifted until the end of the millennium when death will finally and forever be vanquished. Increased rainfall, food, and productivity will, of course, bring in an era of great prosperity for all, and Christ’s just rule will guarantee that all are properly paid for whatever they produce by way of products or services. Peace on earth will mean prosperity on earth and social justice for all.

ITS END

The end of the millennium will see the last and final revolt of man and Satan against God and His rule. For a thousand years God will have given all mankind the most ideal conditions under which to live and will have spread the knowledge of the Lord throughout the world. The fact that men will openly oppose God after such benefits will serve to prove that change in outward conditions does not meet man’s basic need. Inside he still will be a rebel unless he has had a change of heart through regeneration. Many who will be born during the millennium will not choose to receive the saving grace of the King. All will apparently be obliged to give outward allegiance to Christ, but, as in every age, God will not compel men to receive the Saviour. Consequently, many living at the conclusion of the millennium will not have trusted Christ for salvation even though they will have obeyed Him as Head of the government.

The opportunity to revolt against Christ will come when Satan will be loosed (Rev 20:7–9). As soon as this happens he will deceive the nations as he did before being confined, and his influence will be worldwide. His revolution will gather momentum as the rebellious forces head for the capital city, Jerusalem, to strike at the very center of Christ’s government. Just as they are about to attack, God will send fire from heaven to destroy them completely. That will end forever opposition of all kinds to the Lord. The people who join this revolt will be destroyed by fire. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:10). Reformation is not the same as regeneration, and betterment is not conversion; this last revolt will prove once again that it is the heart of man that needs a work of supernatural grace.

The Judgments of the Future

THE JUDGMENT OF BELIEVERS’ WORKS

After the church is taken to heaven through translation and resurrection, individual believers will be judged for their works done as Christians (1 Co 3:11–15). Salvation with its assurance of heaven is not in question, only whether heaven will be entered with or without rewards. Paul makes it quite clear in this passage that those believers whose works are of the character that they do not pass the test will nevertheless be saved (v. 15). The question is often raised how one’s sins can be forgiven and yet one’s deeds reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ. Forgiveness concerns justification; the review concerns rewards, and after the review is made there will be no sorrow or tears because there are none in heaven. Too, we often wonder what the nature of the rewards will be. If heaven is heaven, what difference will rewards make? The answer to that is not given in the Bible; nevertheless, rewards are mentioned as a proper motivation for Christian service. We are told for what things rewards will be given. A crown of rejoicing will be given for bringing people to Christ (1 Th 2:19); a crown of righteousness, for loving His appearing (2 Ti 4:8); a crown of life, for enduring testing with love for the Lord (Ja 1:12), and a crown of glory to elders who are faithful to their responsibilities in the church (1 Pe 5:4).

THE JUDGMENT OF GENTILES WHO SURVIVE THE TRIBULATION

Some people will live through the judgments of the tribulation period, and they will be judged before the millennium is set up and functioning. The time of the judgment is clearly indicated as “when the Son of man shall come in his glory” (Mt 25:31–46). It will take place on the earth in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2). Probably this valley will be created in the area of Jerusalem by some of the physical disruptions connected with the second coming of Christ (Zec 14:4). Those judged are called the “nations,” a Hebrew word translated “people,” “heathen,” “nations,” and, most often, “Gentiles.” The Greek word translated “nations” in Matthew 25:32 is also often translated “Gentiles” in the New Testament (see Ro 11:11–12, 25). This must be a judgment of individuals (there has never been a righteous nation), not nations as groups, so it is best to translate “Gentiles.”

The basis of judging will be the treatment by these Gentiles of a group which the Lord Jesus called “my brethren” (Mt 25:40). Who these are can be determined by a process of elimination. Since Christ is present as judge, since the church has been raptured before the tribulation begins, since living Gentiles are being judged, the only group left would seem to be the Jews of the tribulation times (His “brethren” according to the flesh). They will be the objects of intense persecution during those days, so that anyone who befriends them or does any act of kindness to them will himself come under great suspicion. People will not feed, clothe, or visit Jews simply for humanitarian reasons during that time. To do these things will involve a real risk of one’s own life, so doing these things will therefore be evidence of new life in the doer’s heart. In other words, the works of kindness which these Gentiles will have done for the Jewish brethren of the Lord will prove the regenerated condition of the Gentiles. Being regenerated saves them; doing these good works proves that they are regenerated.

Those whose lives have given evidence of the new birth will become citizens of the kingdom (Mt 25:34). Those whose works proved their lack of eternal life will be condemned to the lake of fire (v. 41). Those who do enter the kingdom will enter with their earthly bodies; they will marry, bear children, and become the means of populating the millennial earth.

THE JUDGMENT OF JEWS WHO SURVIVE THE TRIBULATION

Those Jews who live through the tribulation period will also be judged (Eze 20:34–38). The Lord also spoke of this judgment in a parable (Mt 25:14–30) and placed it immediately after His return. The result of this judgment will be that the unsaved Jews will be cut off from both millennial and eternal life, for no rebel will enter the millennium (Eze 20:37; Mt 25:30).

THE JUDGMENT OF FALLEN ANGELS

Satan will, of course, be judged at the second coming of Christ by being bound in the abyss during the millennium and then after his brief revolt at the conclusion be cast eternally into the lake of fire (Rev 20:2–3, 7, 10). Those angels who followed Satan’s initial revolt against God will also be judged. The time is called “the great day” (Jude 6)—probably at the conclusion of the millennium (the end of the day of the Lord) when Satan is finally judged. Believers will apparently have a part in executing this judgment (1 Co 6:3).

THE JUDGMENT OF THE UNSAVED DEAD (AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE) (REV 20:11–15)

At the conclusion of the millennial reign a great white throne will be established somewhere in space, for the present earth and starry heavens will have been replaced. The judge who will sit on this throne will be Christ (Jn 5:22—the better texts of Rev 20:12 read “before the throne,” not “before God”). Those who are judged will be the unsaved dead of all time. All the redeemed will have been raised and judged previously, so only the unsaved are left (Rev 20:6).

These people will also be judged on the basis of their works (vv. 12–13). They get into this judgment because they are unsaved, but once there, they are judged for their works. When the book of life is opened, it will be seen that no name of anyone standing before the throne appears in it. Rejection of the Saviour has kept their names out of the book of life. Their works done during their lifetimes prove that these people deserve eternal punishment.

It is almost an act of condescension on God’s part to show men at this judgment that they deserve the lake of fire on the basis of their own personal records. It seems likely, too, that this basis of judgment will also serve as a basis for different degrees of punishment in hell (see Lk 12:47–48). For all who stand in this judgment, the result will be the same—they will be cast into the lake of fire. This is called the second death and means eternal separation from God. Even death (which claims the body) and hades (which claims the soul) will be cast into the lake of fire, for their work will be finished. Charted, these future judgments look like this:

The Resurrections

Contrary to popular ideas, there will not be one general resurrection day. Basically there are two resurrections when considered in relation to classes of people involved, not chronology—the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust (Jn 5:28–29; Lk 14:14).

Between the death of the body and the resurrection, both the righteous and wicked exist in a conscious state. The believer is in the presence of the Lord during this time (2 Co 5:1–8; Phil 1:23) while the unbeliever is in conscious torment (Lk 16:19–31).

THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST

The resurrection of the just is also called the first resurrection and will occur in several stages, not all at once. The dead in Christ will be raised first at the rapture of the church (1 Th 4:16). The redeemed of the tribulation period who die during that time will be raised before the millennium (Rev 20:4). The redeemed of Old Testament times will also be a part of the resurrection of the just. Expositors are divided over when they will be raised, some believing that it will happen at the rapture when the church saints are raised, and others holding that it will occur at the second coming (Dan 12:2—the writer prefers the latter view).

THE RESURRECTION OF THE UNJUST

As indicated above in discussing the judgment of the great white throne, all unsaved people of all time will be raised after the millennium to be judged and then cast into the lake of fire forever (Rev 20:11–15). At their resurrection they will apparently be given some sort of bodies that will be able to live forever and feel the effects of the torments of the lake of fire.

Heaven and Hell

HEAVEN

The Scriptures speak of the heavens (Gen 1:1; Heb 4:14) and there are apparently only three (2 Co 12:2—the third heaven being the actual presence of God). Our Lord referred to heaven as a definite place (Jn 14:1–3), entrance into which is only through Christ.

Some of the characteristics of heaven are as follows: It is inhabited (Heb 12:22–24), it is a place of great beauty (Rev 21:1–22:7), there will be no reproduction there (Mk 12:25), it is a holy place (Rev 21:27), we will serve and worship and fellowship with God there (Rev 4–5), and being in heaven will give us a new perspective on everything (see Is 66:24).

HELL

The English word hell is quite unspecific in comparison with the biblical words which it often translates. In the Old Testament the word hell translates the Hebrew word sheol, which sometimes means the grave and sometimes the place of departed people in contrast to the state of the living. It was regarded as a place of horror (Ps 30:9; Num 16:33), weeping (Is 38:3), and punishment (Job 24:19).

In the New Testament there are three words which relate to the doctrine of hell. Hades is the equivalent to Sheol and is the place where unsaved people go when they die to await their resurrection and judgment at the great white throne. Hades is temporary in that it will be cast into the lake of fire. Tartaros (2 Pe 2:4) occurs only one time and describes the place where certain fallen angels are confined. Gehenna (2 Ki 23:10 and Mt 10:28) was a common refuse dump and a place of perpetual fire and loathsomeness, and the valley in Jerusalem illustrates the fire and awfulness of the lake of fire. Hell is conceived of as a place of outer darkness (Mt 8:12), eternal torment, and punishment (Rev 14:10–11).

The punishment of the unsaved is not annihilation, nor will they be restored after some time of punishment. In other words, the Bible does not allow for conditional immortality (final annihilation) or classic universalism (restoration after a time of punishment). The same word that is used for eternal judgment (Heb 6:2), is used for eternal life (Jn 3:15), and for the eternal God (1 Ti 1:17).

If one of these is temporary, then the others must be too. Furthermore, the same phrase that means forever is used of God being alive forever (Rev 15:7), of eternal life (Jn 10:28), and of eternal torment (Rev 14:11). Again there is no way to escape the conclusion that if God is everlasting, so is punishment in the lake of fire. There is no annihilation and no restoration.

Universalism today often takes the form of teaching that all will be saved without any kind of punishment. It is based on misinterpretations of Acts 3:21, 1 Corinthians 15:24–28 and Colossians 1:20, but it completely ignores the biblical teaching of the diverse destinies of the righteous and wicked (Mt 25:46; Jn 5:29; Ro 2:8–10; Rev 20:10, 15).¹