Revelation 20:4. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Revelation 20:5b-6. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Zechariah 2:10-12. “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD. “Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.”
Endnote 311 (back): Isaiah 25:6-8. On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
Hosea 2:19-20. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.
Revelation 19:6-9. Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Endnote 312 (back): Daniel 12:11-12. “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. [Assuming that the blessing of reaching the end of 1,335 days is to participate in the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, there are 45 days (i.e., 1,335 minus 1,290) during which the resurrection of the Tribulation saints will occur. This is further explained later in the Epilogue.]
Endnote 313 (back): Revelation 22:3a. No longer will there be any curse. [The curse is recorded in Genesis 3:17-19. To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”]
Endnote 314 (back): Revelation 22:17. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Endnote 315 (back): 1960, MGA/UA.
Endnote 316 (back): Luke 20:34-36. Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.
Endnote 317 (back): 1985, MGM/Universal.
Endnote 318 (back): Concerning what happens to the dead, the Bible presents a paradox. Just as today, Jews at the time of Christ’s ministry who believed in a resurrection saw it as a future event. This is evident in the discussion between the Sadducees and Jesus in Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, and Luke 20:27-40. The Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection did not believe in the resurrection and were attempting to trap Jesus in a logical conundrum. He answered them in kind, confirming that the resurrection is, in fact, a future event. What then of those who are dead but will be resurrected? The following verses indicate that the dead are totally unaware until the resurrection, which is a future event.
Psalm 6:5. Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?
Psalm 115:17-18. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to the place of silence; it is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD.
Isaiah 38:18-19. For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness.
Daniel 12:2. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Job 14:10-12. But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. As the water of a lake dries up or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so he lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, people will not awake or be roused from their sleep.
Job 19:25-27. I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Acts 2:29, 34. Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. … For David did not ascend to heaven …
And yet the following verses indicate an immediate or near-immediate transition into God’s presence:
Luke 23:43. Jesus answered him [the repentant thief on the cross next to Jesus], “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
2 Corinthians 5:8. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Philippians 1:23. I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
The theory I have presented here (that the dead exit time and go immediately to their resurrection either at the Rapture, or in the Kingdom, or at the “Great White Throne Judgment” of Revelation 20:11-15) offers a possible explanation for that paradox. For the repentant thief, for Paul, and for other Christians, as for Decker, the transition into the presence of God at their resurrection is immediate.
I realize that there are some who will object to this theory based on the story told by Jesus of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The issue is whether the story Jesus told in Luke 16 is a parable or an actual event. (Note that this is not the same Lazarus whose story John reports chapter 11 and 12 of his gospel, and whom Jesus raised from the dead.) Those who believe that the story Jesus told in Luke 16 is based on an actual event, reason that because Jesus named one of the people (Lazarus) in that story and did not name characters in other known parables, then the story cannot be a parable but must be actual biography. But what is their authority for this assertion? There is no law or rule of parables that the teller cannot give names to his characters. Nor can we claim to know all of the parables Jesus told. John 21:25 states that there were a great many things that Jesus did (and presumably said) that were not written down. All that can be said with certainty, then, is that if Jesus did ever use names in parables, it was seldom. So, if the story of the rich man and Lazarus is a parable, there must be a reason for Jesus naming him. While we cannot know, can it really have been a coincidence that the only other Lazarus mentioned anywhere in the Bible (in John 11–12) soon did exactly what was spoken of by the rich man in the story (i.e., rose from the dead)? Or did Jesus give
his character that name because he knew he would soon raise the real Lazarus, and that the Pharisees would respond with the same hard-heartedness at the resurrection of the real Lazarus as Abraham (in the story) said the rich man’s five brothers would have if the Lazarus (in the story) had been raised?
Those who believe that the story of the rich man and Lazarus is biography, also assert that Jesus gave far more detail in this story than he provided in known parables. On the contrary, in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-31), Jesus provides nearly twice as many words and far more detail, including what the pigs were fed, how the father arrayed the son when he returned, what they ate at the party, the fact that there was music and dancing, and even a conversation between the older brother and the father in which the prodigal son was not a party.
Those who accept the story of the rich man and Lazarus as biography rather than parable, must also explain away the verses in the first set listed earlier in this discussion: Psalm 6:5; Psalm 115:17-18; Isaiah 38:18-19; Daniel 12:2; Job 14:10-12; Job 19:25-27; and Acts 2:29 and 2:34. For how could the psalmist and Isaiah say that the dead do not praise God if, in fact, the dead were fully aware and sitting comfortably at Abraham’s side? Would they not be praising God? How could Job say that the dead are unaware and asleep “till the heavens are no more,” if they are able to feel comfort (as did Lazarus) and thirst (as did the rich man) and even able to carry on conversations with one another?
Finally, it should also be noted that from the context, we see that Jesus did not tell the story of the rich man and Lazarus to teach his disciples about what awaited those who died, but rather to rebuke the Pharisees (see Luke 16:14) for ignoring Moses and the Prophets, whom they claimed to represent.
Endnote 319 (back): See Chapter 7 of Acts of God for explanation and Scripture references.
Endnote 320 (back): This ordered approach is suggested in the following passage, especially by the use of the Greek word tagma meaning ordered as in progressive rows.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order (tagma): Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Endnote 321 (back): 1 Corinthians 15:50. I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Endnote 322 (back): See Chapter 5 of Acts of God.
Revelation 14:9-11. A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
Endnote 323 (back): Matthew 25:31-46. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Romans 14:10-11. You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
2 Corinthians 5:10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Revelation 20:5a. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.
Revelation 20:11-15. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Endnote 324 (back): 2 Peter 3:9. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Endnote 325 (back): 2 Thessalonians 2:10b. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Endnote 326 (back): Revelation 18:21-24. Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
Endnote 327 (back): The coming of 1) the Messianic Kingdom and 2) a new heaven and a new earth are prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments (e.g., Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 20–21). But just as it was difficult (or perhaps impossible) to distinguish the first and second coming of Messiah prior to the first advent (indeed, the Apostles’ question to Christ in Acts 1:6 reveals they continued to wonder even to the last moment), in the same way, it is difficult (impossible?) to clearly distinguish some prophecies that describe the Kingdom from those describing the new heaven and new earth.
Endnote 328 (back): Isaiah 11:10-12. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush,
from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
Daniel 7:18. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
Daniel 7:27. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
Endnote 329 (back): See Ezekiel 47:13-48:29.
Endnote 330 (back): Isaiah 33:17. Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.
The Christ Clone Trilogy - Book Three: ACTS OF GOD (Revised & Expanded) Page 50