The Last Great Day helps us understand God's plan for the salvation of the majority of mankind, all those who have lived and died in six thousand years without being called, without having a real chance for salvation. All these will come up in the white throne judgement, brought back to life, and will have the opportunity to learn the truth without Satan around to deceive them, and they can be saved and be given eternal life with Christ and the saints forever (Ezekiel 37:1-14, Revelation 20:5, 11-15).
The white throne judgement is a blessing for mankind, enabling everyone who has ever lived to have a chance to be saved. But it is also a blessing for the members of the Church of God.
Most of us have had loved ones that were never part of the Church, never called to salvation in this life. We have developed relationships, love, with family members and friends who have died, never being converted - mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, unconverted mates, children, and even friends. We can rejoice in God's wisdom, power, and mercy that we can see them again, even those who have died, and they can be in God's kingdom forever with us, if they repent.
The relationships we develop in this life with those who have never been converted will not be in vain. We can see them again in the second resurrection. And if they believe God and repent, our relationships with them, our love towards them, can continue for eternity. This is a blessing, not only for them, but for us. We don't have to sorrow as the world sorrows over the loss of these loved ones in this life, if they have died.
And for those unconverted still alive, there is a chance for them to live into the millennium, and they can be converted at that time.
How great is God's love and wisdom!
Here are links to related chapters or sections in Preaching the Gospel:
The Last Great Day - the White Throne Judgment, Chapter 2
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2 comments:
Hello my friend,
I know you probably do not realize this but you seem quite vague as to what YOU really believe in many areas. for example, and dealing with this very issue of the Eighth day, exactly where do you stand? Is it in a "seven thousand" year time frame or is it in an "eighth Day"?
I really dso not mean to put you on the spot--but to many have bought into this idea of God's plan being a seven thousand year plan--even the living Church of God has an article that calls Gods word a "seven thousand year book" which is quite preposteress, when you think about it. so I wonder if it is tooo much to ask that you would explain where you stand on these points of Biblical truth?
The Editor
Fair question. I also wondered myself how the "eighth day" fits into the terminology of a "seven thousand year plan". If the eighth day, representing the white throne judgement, represents a 100 year period as many in the Church of God have taught (Isaiah 65:20), and if this follows a seven thousand year plan, then would not the total plan for the salvation of mankind be more properly called a 7,100 year plan?
But that is terminology.
I believe the eighth day, the "Last Great Day" as we call it, definitely follows the millenium, and thus the 7,000 years, and it will probably be 100 years, according to Isaiah 65:20. The "seven thousand year plan" of God can refer to the literal 7,000 years that represents the first six thousand years from Adam to the return of Christ plus the one thousand years of the millennium. In this case, it is a seven thousand year plan, not for the complete salvation of mankind, but a seven thousand year plan for the demonstration God is using to show that God's way is better than Satan's way, with the first six thousand years showing that Satan's way brings suffering and the last thousand years showing that God's way brings happiness. Then the billions who come up in the white throne judgement can look at the history of those two periods and know that God's way is best.
Or, you can use the term, "seven thousand year plan" as including the 100 years and being approximately seven thousand years, and then it can be called the seven thousand year plan for the salvation of mankind. Round it off, in other words. That is how I generally use the term in my writings.
The term, "seven thousand year plan" is not found in the Bible. The Church has coined the term based on several scriptures put together, but the term itself is an invention of the Church, so whether it includes the 100 year white throne judgement or not depends on how the writer or speaker is using the term - you can often tell by the context.
I agree with the Church's traditional teaching that the "eight day" of the Feast is connected with the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles but is a separate Festival with a distinct meaning.
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