Do images of long lines of people standing before God – those who did bad and those who did good – come to mind? Do images of God receiving into heaven the good and casting the bad ones into a fiery hell also come to mind? Are these images accurate and substantiated in Scripture?
The Dead
In these images of long lines of people standing before God to be judged, are they dead? According to the teachings of the more than 33,000 "Christian" denominations, they are. If so, one must ask: "If these persons had already died, why are they standing before God in judgment? According to popular Christian teaching, if one accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, they immediately go to heaven and to ones that do not, they immediately go to a fiery hell for all eternity. Is this not their judgment?
They believe that bad persons – right now – are in a place of torment and that good Christians are in heaven. Does this make sense? When did God have His judgment for these persons to determine heaven or hell for them?
Yet, at the same time, Christendom teaches a coming future Judgment Day. Why would God call out of heaven or hell persons who had died, bring them to life again, and then judge them only to put them back to the places from which they came? This teaching makes absolutely no sense and it hems and haws.
What and When is Judgment Day?
Jesus spoke of a time when all of the dead would be judged. What dead? Those who will be resurrected from the dead? This truth is evident by Jesus' own words at John 5:28-29 (Also see Acts 24:15)
Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.
This Scripture alone squelches the false Church-system teaching that when a person bad person dies, they immediately go to a fiery hell and when a good person (Christian) dies, they immediately go heaven.
John 5:28-29 is clear in what it says for a time is coming when all of the dead are called out. That means that all persons who have ever died are – to this day – asleep in death in their graves. None are in heaven and none are in a fiery hell being tormented.
The idea that dead persons are either in a blissful heaven or in a fiery hell is another great deception in which the Church-systems of the world have had a party to spreading. And, it shows a woeful ignorance of Scripture unfortunately.
The Apostle Paul said at Romans 6:7, that when any person dies, their sins die with them. Jehovah God in sending His Christ as the world's Savior made this possible. When Jesus gave up his life as a sacrifice for all of mankind, he took with him the sins of the whole world with him. It was not just for those who call themselves Christians – Scripture does not teach that:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The Church-system attempts to twist this Scripture to make it seem like one has to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior in order not to perish. That is not what this Scripture says. They put the cart before the horse. This Scripture is showing that God gave the whole world a free gift in His Son. (Romans 3:23-24) Making it possible for all to first have a resurrection and then after they are resurrected have the opportunity for entry into God's Kingdom that comes to the earth and continued life – if and only if – at that time they believe Jesus at that time when he becomes their ruler.
It would not make sense for Jesus to make the expression in John 5:28-29 in reference to a resurrection of all the dead only to have the Church-system teach something different: That one must now and first Jesus as Lord and Savior and then and only then they are saved. That makes no sense and it goes against what Jesus taught about the resurrection of all persons.
In harmony with what Jesus taught, the Apostle Paul states at Romans 6:7, that any person who has died, has no sin with them any longer. In other words, when a person dies, any sins that they may have committed while alive, die with them. That is precisely why Jesus gave up his life as a sacrifice for all persons. It was unconditional. God's love for all of mankind when He sent his Son for this purpose was unconditional. It was a gift. Nothing was required on our part to receive this gift. One must think: if some action was required on our part, then it would not be a gift. The Church-system fails to see and accept this. They keep on impaling Jesus.
If – as the Apostle Paul says – one's sins die with them, what will be their condition when they are called out of the death state? They will be sinless.
Because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:7)
So, if Jesus died for mankind's sins, that should stand. No conditions should be placed on God's gift to mankind by any human or human agency.
If a persons sins die with them when they die, then what is their to judge? Nothing.
When a person is resurrected from the dead, they have no sin on them. Sins that they committed before they died, died with them. So, what possibly could there be to judge?
Answer: The things one does after the 1000 year reign of Christ ends. (Revelation 20:7) Not during the 1000 years but after.
Upon ones resurrection from the dead, a person begins a new life with a new sinless body. Satan the Devil – according to Scripture – is locked up for 1000 years. There will be no tempter of mankind for one thousand years. Why 1000 years?
Because it will take that period of time to restore and prepare a resurrected mankind to a condition suitable for them to receive God's Kingdom. God's Kingdom cannot come upon a human family that is not properly prepared for it. Since God's Kingdom is holy, so must the people in which it comes to.
Since Satan, the tempter and misleader of mankind is released from his prison after the 1000 years, that is when Judgment Day begins. Jesus will no longer have a kingdom on earth, it will have ended; his job in restoring mankind to their Creator, complete. Mankind stands one-to-one before their Creator just as Adam did without an intercessor. Persons are judged based on the decisions that they make during that time. During the 1000 year time period, Satan is out of the way and cannot tempt mankind to do bad. So mankind will not commit sins based on Satan's influence upon them. Any sins a resurrected mankind commits during the 1000 years will be due to imperfections in their spirit – not their bodies. It will take 1000 years to teach the human family these spiritual requirements necessary for entry into God's Kingdom when it arrives on the earth.
So Judgment Day is a time period where all of the resurrected dead are judged as worthy for entry into God's Kingdom that comes down out of heaven to the earth. (That is the what). Judgment Day occurs after the 1000 years when Satan is released from his prison to mislead a perfect human society. Those who allow Satan to tempt them – as he tempted Jesus – and those who make the conscious decision to follow Satan in his rebellion at that time, will do so with full knowledge of what they are doing, and will be judged based on their decisions at that time. Their sins at that time cannot be forgiven. (These are what the unforgivable sins Scripture speak of.)
It is within this future Judgment Day time period that Satan establishes his beastly system of rule over restored mankind. It is also within this Judgment Day time period that The Great Tribulation and the great rebellion of Armageddon occurs.
What is it that Satan will lead a rebellion? The coming down and the establishment of God's Kingdom to the earth. He will fail.
That is why we see God's Kingdom coming to the earth after Satan and his rebellion – and those with him – are put down and destroyed.
Many religious organizations do not realize that a wedding between a Woman and a Husband will occur in the future after that 1000 year time period. What is this marriage?
God's Kingdom (the Woman) is joined to her Husband (a restored human society). We see this Woman coming down out of heaven (down the aisle) to the earth (her Husband) at Revelation 21:2 says:
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
This Holy City is God's Kingdom. It is prepared as a bride and it is as coming down beautifully dressed for her husband. Therefore, the husband could not be Jesus Christ as he is the King of that Kingdom that comes down. The Husband could be none other than a restored human society who is on earth – the place in which the Woman comes down to.
Jesus who is mankind's only mediator is the one who marries or joins God's Kingdom (The Woman) to the restored human family (The Husband). In fact, this marriage will be Jesus' last act as mediator. His work will have come to a completion.
