By
Art Braidic
and
Randy Vild
This booklet is published by the Eternal Church of God with permission of the authors. This booklet is not to be sold. It is provided free to the public as an educational service by the author and the publisher.
© 2001 Eternal Church of God ®
All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Most people on earth have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Billions more, who lived before our time, never had the opportunity to know Him.
What will happen to these countless numbers of people? What is the fate of the teeming millions in China, Japan, Indonesia, Africa, and the jungles of South America or Australia who have not heard of Jesus? What will be the end of children who died only days after being born?
Are all these doomed to eternal damnation? What does God’s Word tell us?
* * *
Is This
The Only Time
Of Salvation
The young girl sobbed uncontrollably over the recent death of her father. Her hands trembled as she held a photo of the two of them together. Over the years she had pleaded with him to accept Jesus as his personal Savior, but he had shown no interest. Now, he had died “unsaved."
The emotionally distraught girl could not get these tormenting thoughts out of her mind. Agonizing over the death of her father, she was convinced that she would never be able to see him again. More devastating, she was sure that her father was now doomed to endure endless torture in the fires of hell.
Tragically, this young girl is not alone. Millions of professing Christians have been taught that those who do not accept Jesus Christ in this life have no hope to in the next. As a result, untold numbers of people have anguished over loved ones who have died “unsaved." Worse yet, terrible abuses such as holy wars, the Crusades, and the inquisition found their origin in this belief.
Let us put this whole idea into its proper perspective. Most of the people living on the planet today have not heard of, known, or accepted, Jesus Christ as their personal savior. From the time of Adam until the time when the Messiah walked this earth, billions more never even heard the name Jesus Christ. What will ultimately happen to these countless numbers of people?
What is the fate of the teeming millions in China, Japan, Indonesia, Africa, and the jungles of South America? What about children who may have died only days after being born? Are all these doomed to eternal damnation? What does God’s Word tell us?
First of all, the Bible does teach that all men must accept Christ in order to be saved. In Acts, the apostle Paul states this divine truth:
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Paul reveals that all men must accept Christ to be saved. Further, when it comes to salvation, God does not show favoritism. He tells us that those who are ignorant of the truth will not be exempt from His judgment. In Romans, Paul writes:
For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law. And as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. (Romans 2:11)
Theologians have read these verses, but misinterpreted them, assuming that all men are being judged now. Believing this, they conclude that anyone who has not accepted Christ in this lifetime has lost his or her chance for salvation.
An Outrageous Belief
God is perfectly just, and His divine justice demands that all human beings be given the same opportunity for salvation. Paradoxically, while most professing Christians agree that God is fair, they also believe God will consign the vast majority of people to the tortures of an ever-burning hell. They believe that this is the fate reserved for all who have not accepted Jesus – even those who have never so much as heard the phonetic utterance of His name.
Henry Morris expresses this outrageous perspective in his book, The Bible Has the Answer. He writes:
In every age there has been only a small number of people who were approved of God. In the days before the great flood, Noah ...won no converts except his own family. The Bible says few, that is eight souls were saved, and that for the others, God spared not the old world. The flood came upon them and destroyed them all.
The days of the early patriarchs was similar. These... having seen the promises afar off, and were persuaded of them and embraced them... (but) Even among the Jews there were only a few who really cared for God.
Therefore when Christian preachers and evangelists preach that most men are lost ... it is not because they are unloving, and self righteous, but rather because they could not be truly Christian and do otherwise. (p. 118)
Morris writes that "most men are lost." Could he possibly be right? Would the Great Holy God create a magnificent universe, populate this one tiny planet with billions of humans, only to have the vast majority of them die and then have to suffer for all eternity simply because, during their lifetime, they were somehow unaware of His Son?
Morris further explains this distorted view, as he writes:
There are therefore two distinct categories of inhabitants of eternity, the saved and the unsaved, those who have received everlasting life and those upon whom God's wrath must abide forever. It is sobering to realize that most people are in the second category. (P. 240)
Would a loving God design such a destructive plan? Has God created human beings in His own image, only to destroy the majority of them? The answer is an emphatic no! Such an outrageous belief as this completely contradicts the Bible’s teaching that God is love!
The Abuse Of A Doctrine
Belief that this present life is the only time God will offer man salvation has led to horrifying abuses. During the middle ages, religious leaders were absolutely confident that unbelievers were destined to burn in a torturous hell, and that such punishment from God was far worse than any man could ever devise.
Armed with this terrible false doctrine, and a sense of their own self-righteousness, a religious man could justify virtually any action against an unbeliever. Believing that nothing was worse than God’s wrath, the “spiritual" community concluded that the most humane thing to do was to torture the infidel until they recanted. After being forced to accept Christ, the victim would then be mercifully killed before they had a chance to change their mind. As a result, thousands of men and women were tortured and killed during this dark time in man’s history.
This distortion of truth eventually led to massive killings in religious “holy war." The crusades were a terrifying example of the fruits of this belief.
During this time, not only did the church teach that it was noble to torture and kill those who did not believe, they taught that those who perpetrated such crimes earned special favor with God.
James A. Brundage writes in his book, Holy Wars and Medieval Lawyers:
By the eleventh century Christian warriors who worried about the salvation of their souls could avail themselves of another reassurance: under certain conditions they might march into battle under a sacred banner.... those who died in battle on behalf of righteousness were automatically and deservedly freed from their sins.... where active expansion of the Christian world and aggressive activities on behalf of papal interests were at issue. (p. 104-105)
Expand the papal interests they did. In A History of the Expedition to Jerusalem, Frances Ryan notes the personal record of the crusaders as they entered Jerusalem:
The pagans were completely terrified, for they all exchanged their former boldness for headlong fight through the narrow streets of the city. The more swiftly they fled the more swiftly they were pursued.... Many of the Saracens who had climbed to the top of the Temple of Solomon in their flight were shot to death with arrows and fell headlong from the roof. Nearly ten thousand were beheaded in this Temple. If you had been there your feet would have been stained to the ankles in the blood of the slain...None of them were left alive. Neither women nor children were spared.
The crowd fell as rotten apples fall from shaken branches and acorns from swaying oaks... The Saracens, seeing that our men were so fierce and that the city was already taken by them, fled precipitately to wherever they thought they might preserve their lives a little longer. But they were unable to hide anywhere and instead were slain in a death that was well deserved.
Tragically, holy war against those who did not accept Jesus did not end with the Muslims in Jerusalem. The church made war against any who professed Jesus in a way other than they proscribed. In time, they made war on true Christians!
The Albigenses were a group who professed Christ, but followed the literal teachings of the early apostles. They were known to keep the 10 commandments, and rejected the pagan observances that had crept into the Great Church of Rome.
H.E. J. Cowdrey explains their fate in his work, The Genesis of the Crusades:
The decree of the third Lateran Council assimilated those who took up the sword against heretics with Crusaders... (granting) fighters against heresy the same indulgence and other privileges enjoyed by Crusaders.... In 1208, Pope Innocent III launched what was to be called the Albigensian Crusade...
Not only was it lawful and laudable for princes to undertake holy wars for the repression of heretics, it was a duty required of them and those who failed to take part in such a war sinned by withholding their help.
The book Massacre At Montsequr sites an example of what happened to these innocent people:
Crusaders forced open doors of churches and then proceeded to hack to pieces those who had sought refuge inside. Corpses were stacked up by the thousands as men and women, babies and invalids were butchered outright ....over two hundred staunch 'heretics' in the neighboring city of Montsequr had their trial by fire. They were dragged from the city and incinerated in one massive funeral pyre. This done, the bishop, together with the monks and their attendants returned to the refectory and after giving thanks to God and St. Dominic, fell cheerfully upon the food set before them.
Shocking as it may seem, literally millions of men and women have been killed in the name of Christ down through the ages. This travesty has largely been a result of the belief that “now" is the only time of salvation. Jesus warned that this would occur, stating:
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. (John 16:2)
The Devil’s Doctrine
The Bible reveals that God is not trying to save all mankind during this age. His Word shows us that this present evil world is not ruled by God. When writing to the Corinthians about Satan the apostle Paul says:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (II Corinthians 4:4)
God is sovereign over all things, but for now He has allowed the devil to have rule over the earth. In Matthew 4:8-9, Christ was tempted of the devil. There Satan offered Christ the kingdoms of this world.
The Devil could offer Christ the empires of this earth because they were his to give. Satan rules over this earth and he deceives mankind by influencing the governments, educational systems, and religions of this world. This shocking truth is revealed in the book of Revelation where the apostle John states:
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. (Revelation 12:9)
Satan’s deception has led governmental leaders to exploit their people. He has led nations to war, and produced poverty, sickness, and disease. He has led the educational systems to teach evolution – a creation without a Creator. He has influenced religious leaders to lead people into darkness, causing worship of the creation rather than the Creator.
Consider some of the following examples. Satan has misled the majority of Protestant churches to believe that the commandments of God are done away. Therefore, many have furnished their homes and churches with statues and pictures of Jesus and various saints. Such practice directly violates the second commandment which states:
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath. (Exodus 20:4)
Under the guise of celebrating Christ’s birthday, the devil has charmed the modern church into observing pagan holidays. Therefore, professing Christians unwittingly observe the winter Saturnalia. Believers drag an evergreen tree into their home, and decorate the branches with bright colored ornaments. Then they kneel before it as they place their gifts under its branches.
Worship of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, is condoned in modern Easter celebrations. Professing Christians ignorantly worship this false goddess of sex and reproduction with the symbols of sunrise services, painted eggs, and chocolate bunnies.
The Roman Catholic church holiday, Halloween, honors the lord of the dead with images of the devil, demons, goblins, and skeletons. These forms of worship are rooted in paganism, which God forbids. God commands His people:
Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, (pagans) ...that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. (Deuteronomy 12:30)
In a like manner, Satan has also deceived men into the false belief that this is the only time of salvation. This terrible heresy has led so called Christians to torture and murder true Christians in the name of God.
Take a moment to view this doctrine in its true perspective. The Adversary wants mankind to believe that he is more powerful than Almighty God. Therefore, he influences religious teachers to continue to propagate the false idea that God is still at war with Satan.
This is the Devil’s doctrine, making him appear mightier than God. If God and Satan were in such a war, who appears to be winning the contest? From all we can see, it looks as though Satan is victorious.
The whole world is in a terrible state today. There is the constant threat of wars and rumors of war. Disease, ignorance, and poverty are growing worldwide. Famine continues in third world countries, while the industrialized nations are becoming hopelessly polluted. The modern world faces a constant threat of the extinction of life as a result of suicidal nuclear war.
In addition, if this life is the only time of salvation, Christianity is a tragic failure. The faith of Jesus accounts for only 1/3 of all religious adherents in the world. Muslim, Jewish, Zorastrian, Shinto, Buddhist and Hindu religions make up the other two thirds. These numbers do not include those who are atheist or agnostic.
According to Leo Rosten in his work, Religions of America, only 60% of Americans profess any church membership, and 75 % of Christians believe “religion is losing its influence" (p. 18).
This is the very reason that Satan foists this doctrine on ignorant mankind. If this is the only time of salvation, then it appears that God is impotent, and incapable of saving mankind. Believers must not be fooled. God is the Almighty one, He can save man any time He desires and in any way He desires. As Luke states: “with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). The prophet Isaiah records God’s words as he thunders:
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. (Isaiah 46:9-10)
A time is coming when God’s pleasure will be done. God will intervene powerfully! He will save the majority of mankind, but He will do so according to His timing. And, it is this timing of God’s plan that has remained a mystery for many centuries.
The belief that this is the only time of salvation is heresy. It contradicts scripture, and is the doctrine of the Devil. It is propagated by him for the purpose of deceiving man about both the power and nature of God, and the Eternal’s plan for the salvation of mankind.
God is Not Calling Everyone Now
Is God desperately trying to save the world, but is unable to do so? Or, is there something we have simply not understood? Christ is infinitely more powerful than Satan. The Bible states that when Jesus comes back to this earth, He forcibly takes over all nations of the world. When He does so, He binds Satan for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2). He then sets up His government and brings peace to the nations. At this time all will know Him. The prophet Habakkuk explains:
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)
Christ has all the power in the universe. Nothing is impossible for Him, including saving mankind. When He returns, as the King of Kings, Christ will then begin to set His hand to save man, but He is not attempting to do so now.
The Eternal originally created humankind to live in harmony with Him in the beautiful garden of Eden. When our first parents sinned, God forced them out of this perfect paradise. From that time, mankind, with the exception of a few chosen prophets and holy men, has been denied access to the tree of life.
Consider the fact that before Jesus Christ came to earth, very few people knew God. The ancient Israelites whom God called out of Egypt did not know the name Jesus Christ. Ancient Israel was not offered spiritual salvation. The Israelites were only given a physical covenant, with physical blessings. God was not trying to save them in their lifetime.
At the right time, Jesus came to this earth and taught mankind. Did He teach that God was trying to save men now? Absolutely not! Christ often hid His meaning from the general public, only revealing the truth to His disciples.
Jesus did not attempt to save the Pharisees, or Sadducees when He walked the earth almost 2,000 years ago. The Savior of man said “let them alone, they are blind leaders of the blind" (Matthew 15:4). Instead, Jesus explained that God had actually hid the truth from those who were considered to be wise. Matthew writes:
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. (Matthew 11:25)
Christ hid the truth from the wise, but He also kept it carefully hidden from the vast majority of people also. He did this by speaking in parables.
Today many falsely believe that Jesus used such stories to make the meaning more clear to the common people. The truth is that Christ taught using parables so listeners would NOT understand Him. It was not their time to be converted, and therefore Jesus told His disciples:
It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. . . .Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matthew 13:11-15).
These verses make it incontrovertibly clear. Jesus Christ was not trying to save mankind when He first came to this earth.
Another evidence for this is that the Spirit of God, which is required for conversion, was not available at this time. Paul explained the necessity of having God’s Spirit in order to be considered Christ’s. He wrote to the Romans:
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9)
We must have the Spirit of God to belong to Christ and therefore be saved, yet that Spirit, which is absolutely necessary for salvation, was not available until after Christ was crucified and taken to heaven. The apostle John states:
But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:39)
Since the Spirit was not given until Christ was glorified, none of the apostles were even converted during Christ’s ministry. Therefore, they frequently misunderstood His teachings.
Further illustrating this truth, at one point, Christ reminded Peter of a future responsibility he would have when he was converted and possessed the Holy Spirit. Christ stated the following to him:
I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren, (Luke 22:32)
The scriptures reveal that Jesus did not attempt to convert individuals during His ministry. Christ first came to the earth to perform His redemptive act for man, and to call out those who would be foundational leaders in His Church.
On the day of Pentecost, 31 A.D., God sent the prophesied Holy Spirit to His fledgling group of followers. At this point, in history, salvation began to be offered to those whom God would call, but it was not yet made available to all mankind. Christ stated this on more than one occasion. Notice the words of our Savior in the gospel of John:
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)
So important is this truth, Jesus repeats it again stating:
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. (John 6:65)
Astounding as these words are, they are absolutely true! No man or woman can come to Christ unless they are specifically called by God the Father. God has restricted who can be saved now. He blinded the Jews (Romans 11:7), and He is not calling the great and powerful in this lifetime. The apostle Paul writes:
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. (I Corinthians 1:26)
God is not calling everyone now. Matthew shows that only a select few of those who are called will ultimately be chosen for the resurrection at Christ’s return.
For many are called, but few [are] chosen, (Matthew 22:14)
Why So Much Confusion?
The overwhelming evidence of scripture reveals that God is not trying to save all mankind at this present time. Some have misunderstood this vital Biblical truth because of a simple mistranslation of II Corinthians 6:2. There it can first appear to validate the belief that this present time, “now," is the only time of salvation: Notice the wording of this verse. Paul writes:
For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time behold, now is the day of salvation. (II Corinthians 6:2)
This verse is absolutely NOT saying our present age is the only time of salvation! Instead, Paul is quoting the prophet Isaiah. The King James translators did not reflect what Isaiah actually said. Note the verse Paul actually quotes from:
Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people. (Isaiah 49:8)
Isaiah is not saying that “now" is the only day of salvation." Instead, he is stating that now is “a"day of salvation. Our time is not the only time for salvation. Isaiah, and Paul both declare that those called during this age should take full advantage of their calling. Why? Because this is their time for salvation!
Another verse that sometimes confuses Bible readers is found in I Timothy. There the evangelist states:
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2:3)
Timothy states that it is God’s will that all men be saved, but he does not say when all men will be saved. In addition, when Timothy refers to “all men, " he alludes to those who lived before Christ, as well as all those who would live after Him. All people who have not had a chance to know Christ will one day be given this wonderful opportunity.
God’s Timetable
Man is impatient, his focus is the present and therefore he views God as being urgent, insistent, and with a need to do everything now. God is unlike man however, He is longsuffering, and will offer mankind salvation according to His timetable. Peter explains:
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (II Peter 3:8)
This verse makes it clear that God is patiently working out His plan over a vast span of time. But it also makes reference to the weekly cycle and a seven thousand year plan for all mankind. God gave man six days to do all his labor, then man is commanded to rest the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-10).
T he seven day week pictures God’s plan for man. After Adam and Eve chose to reject God by deciding for themselves what was right and wrong, the Eternal gave them a period of six thousand years to go their own way. In prophecy, a day represents a thousand years. Therefore, God gave man six prophetic “days," or six thousand years for him to toil at having his own religions, governments, and philosophies.
Finally, the seventh day of the weekly cycle foreshadows Christ’s triumphant return to establish the kingdom of God on earth. It is the restitution of all things, and a one thousand year rest for mankind.
During the six thousand years of man’s rule, God has only called a few people out of this world. When Christ returns He will raise these faithful and give them positions of leadership in His kingdom.
This is why God is not calling everyone to salvation now. He is specifically working to build a cadre of those who will be His personal assistants in the kingdom. Those who are chosen by God the Father will be the bride for His Son, (Revelation 19:7). They will have unique positions ruling with Christ in the kingdom to come.
The scriptures reveal that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will rule with Christ after His return (Matthew 8:11). David will be raised, and coronated king over Israel (Jeremiah 30:7-9). The apostles will each rule over one of the tribes of Israel. Matthew records Christ’s words:
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:27-28)
Presently, God has allowed Satan to blind the minds of those He is not calling (II Corinthians 4:4). Paul writes:
Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (Romans 11:7)
Here, we see that all Israel cannot be saved during this present age. However, one day they will be. Paul states:
All Israel shall be saved. (Romans 11:26)
Paul writes with deep and passionate conviction that “all Israel shall be saved," but they must wait for God’s time. For now, they along with the rest of mankind, are “blinded."
God's Holy Days Provide Insight
Most professing Christians have heard precious little regarding God’s sacred Holy Days. These days are a vital key to understanding God’s plan of salvation. The Eternal God commanded annual Sabbaths to be observed in addition to the weekly Sabbath. These Holy Days were set in the astronomical calendar at creation. God positioned the sun and moon, for “signs"and “seasons" (Genesis 1:14).
The word “seasons" is the Hebrew word “mowadah." This means commanded days of seasonal worship. The word “signs" is “owth." This word means a “mark," “token," or “flag." God’s Holy Days were to be His “mark." They identify who the people of God are, and they are a “sign" pointing the way to His future Kingdom.
Some have misunderstood God’s Holy Days, thinking that they are the “Old Covenant," and done away. Contrary to this belief, the Bible reveals that the early New Testament Church kept these days, Acts 18:21, 20:6, I Corinthians 5:7. Further, the prophet Zechariah tell us that God’s Holy Days will be strictly enforced when Christ returns. God’s prophet writes:
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)
God’s Holy Days are vital to Christians today. They are prophetic, foreshadowing pivotal events in the plan of God. Paul explains this truth to the Colossians. Paul writes:
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath: Which are a shadow of things to come but the body of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)
Paul warns the Gentile Church not to let others judge them in their keeping of the Sabbath or Holy Days. The reason is because these days are a shadow of things to come. When you see the shadow of a man, you know he is near. Likewise, God’s Holy Days picture events that are absolutely certain.
For example, Christ, the Passover Lamb, died on the very day of the Passover, the beginning of God’s Holy Days. This day pictured His redemptive sacrifice. Next, the Holy Spirit was made available to mankind on the day of Pentecost, which portrays the beginning of the first harvest of mankind by God.
Pentecost, is a Greek word meaning “count fifty," and it is called “feast of first fruits"in the Hebrew. After the weekly Sabbath falling between the annual Sabbaths during the Days of Unleavened Bread, the Priest would cut a sheaf out from among the spring harvest. It would be sifted thirteen times in the grist mill, and then the next day the High Priest would lift it up to God and wave it as an offering.
Beginning with this day, the people were to count fifty days, and then celebrate the feast of first fruits. Until that first sheaf was cut and waved before the altar for God’s acceptance, none of Israel’s first crops could be harvested.
After the fifty days, the people would celebrate the feast by offering their firstfruits to God. At this time, the High Priest would bake two loaves of bread from this first harvest and offer them to God.
This ancient ceremony pictured Jesus Christ in the plan of God. He was the wave sheaf offering. Killed on Passover day, buried, and then raised three days later, He then ascended to the throne of the Father, and was accepted by Him on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath.
Only after He was cut off and raised in a resurrection to be accepted in heaven, could the rest of men be harvested. Consequently, after counting fifty days, the Holy Spirit came upon repentant men on the day of Pentecost.
These annual ceremonies pictured specific events to come in God’s plan of salvation. Christ was pictured as the first of the first harvest as the wave sheaf. The two loaves pictured those saved during the Old and New Testaments. The Church is a kind of firstfruits. James writes:
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)
Those called and chosen now are the spring harvest of souls. When the last trumpet sounds, these will be the dead in Christ who will rise to meet Him in the air (I Corinthians 15:51-52). This event is foreshadowed by the feast of Trumpets.
The next Holy Day on God’s calendar is the day of Atonement. It pictures the binding of Satan and a time when the whole world will finally become at one with God. Following this is the feast of Tabernacles which portrays God’s fall harvest of souls. This latter harvest is the time when the vast majority of people will be offered salvation.
These two seasons picture God’s two harvests of mankind, a small harvest in the spring, and a large harvest in the fall. The spring harvest pictures those who will be in the first resurrection. The fall harvest represents all the rest of mankind who will be raised in a latter second resurrection. God will judge these people at that time. He is not doing so now.
God Is Not Judging The World Now
Believing this is the only time of salvation, many are convinced God is judging everyone in the whole world now. The Bible reveals a truth altogether different. God is presently only working with His Church, with those He has called to rule with Him in His Kingdom – those who will be Kings and Priests (Revelation 5:10). The Apostle Peter explains this important truth, stating:
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)
God is not judging the world now. Instead, He is only judging His Church. He is determining who will obtain the first resurrection, what leadership role they will attain, and what rewards He will give them. They are being evaluated as they live their lives.
Once raised and made incorruptible, they will appear before Christ’s throne. At this time, a formal judgement will be pronounced. Paul explains:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)
Christians who are called now will be judged and rewarded at Christ’s return. Does this mean that the rest of the world is lost? No! They must wait for their time when all the different generations will appear before God for judgment. Matthew records Jesus’ explanation in which He states that there would be a time when different peoples from various ages would exist together. Jesus said:
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. (Matthew 11:23-24)
Jesus spoke of an era when the people of ancient Sodom, will coexist with those who lived in His time. When does this occur?
Christ will first return to this earth and take over the nations (Revelation 11:15). He will rule for a thousand years, and the resurrected saints will rule with Him. John writes:
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)
Those who are alive at the time of Jesus’ return will experience the wonderful way of God, as Christ and the saints govern the world. They will witness the wisdom of His law, the greatness of His mercy and love. Many millions will be converted during this time as they come to realize God’s law is the only right way to live.
But – would God give these who live during the millennial rule such a wonderful chance for salvation and not give this same opportunity to the untold billions who lived in generations past? Absolutely not! God is not a respecter of persons. He is absolutely fair, and infinitely merciful. God will give everyone the same chance for salvation.
After Christ has ruled on the earth for a thousand years, the rest of the those who ever lived and died without knowing Jesus will be raised. They will be given the opportunity they never had. Notice the words of Jesus:
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished... (Revelation 20:5)
Who are the rest of the dead spoken of in these verses? They are those individuals who were never called by God in their lifetime, the countless billions who ever lived not knowing Jesus. They include all those who died in the flood, the Jews of Christ’s time who rejected Him, those people who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah, the Israelites under the rule of David, as well as those who came through the red sea with Moses. There will be the great kings of the earth, and the paupers, the tyrannical rulers and those leaders who were fair and just. All the African, Asian, Caucasian, Latin, and Indian people will finally come to see their God.
Everyone will have an opportunity to learn the truth about the Almighty. This will be the time Paul spoke of, when “all Israel shall be saved." The prophet Ezekiel describes this time when Israel shall be raised from the dead.
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
The vast numbers of Israelites who lived throughout all ages will have their chance for salvation. As Christ stated, the people of the cities of Israel during the time of Jesus will exist at the same time as the people of Sodom, and Gomorrah (Matthew 11:20-24).
All races, and people, from every era will have their time to be judged. They will have a chance to know the truth, and make their decision for Christ. All these will be judged by the way they live AFTER knowing God. Then, as with those in the first resurrection, these too will appear before the throne of judgement for a final pronouncement. God will raise these who lived and died during the millennial period and beyond. He will also raise all those who have known Christ and rejected Him. This is a third and final resurrection. The apostle John records a vision of this final judgment:
I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)
All people will be given a chance for salvation. The vast majority will very likely choose life. They too will be brought into the kingdom and family, as sons of God.
God’s Wonderful Plan Of Salvation
The Almighty God is working out an absolutely magnificent plan of salvation. The depth of God’s love stirs Him to desire that all men be saved. God’s infinite wisdom, on the other hand, compels Him not to save everyone now.
From the time the first humans sinned in the Garden, man rejected God’s rule over him. As a result, the Eternal allowed man to go their own way, independent of Him, for six thousand years. The result? We have brought pain, suffering, and death upon ourselves. Every generation has lived to experience the utter failure of making our own choices without God.
There is a grand purpose to all of this, one that should fill each one of us with enormous hope. In our individual lifetimes, each one of us will have learned the tragic but vital lesson from the sorrow we create. God’s inspired Word tells us:
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12)
Man has been writing this lesson in human suffering since his expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Most do not yet fully understand why God is allowing such sorrow in the world. In God’s good time, however, they will. J. B. Phillips translates the apostle Paul’s words in which he states:
In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own. The world of creation cannot as yet see reality, not because it chooses to be blind, but because in God’s purpose it has been so limited – yet it has been given hope. And the hope is that in the end, the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God! (Romans 8:20-22)
All creation will one day be rescued from death and decay. This includes the myriad past generations, and all those who will have not known God until He reveals Himself to mankind. They will all one day share in what now only belongs to those who are called to salvation in this age.
For now, it is God’s purpose that the vast majority of people live according to their own desires. During this time they are all indelibly writing the lesson of disobedience and suffering in their lives. Then, in God’s time, the various peoples throughout the ages will be raised to life again. Once they see the magnificent kingdom of God for themselves, most will certainly choose to follow Him. Untold billions will finally be saved.
During this lifetime however, God is only calling a few to be the first to experience His salvation. Paul makes this clear when he states:
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ (Ephesians 1:12)
Christians in this age are only the first to trust Jesus. This is compelling evidence that others will indeed put their confidence in Him later.
When the time comes for God to call the rest of mankind, they will be greatly encouraged by the wisdom of God’s plan. As Paul states:
God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. (I Corinthians 1:27-28)
If the weak of the world are able to attain the kingdom first, then those who come later will be certain they will succeed.
This is good news indeed! God is the Almighty one. There is nothing He cannot accomplish. Satan is not winning a contest over men’s souls. The vast majority of mankind will not perish because they did not know Christ in this life. They simply have not yet been called. Their time awaits.
God is in complete and total control as He sits on the throne of the universe. He is a loving God who is just and fair. He will give everyone an opportunity in their time.
The young girl whose father died unsaved has hope! Her father is not lost. He is not in an ever burning hell fire. Loved ones or relatives who have not yet been called, infants who have not lived a full life, all those who never had a chance, are asleep in their graves awaiting their chance for salvation. Those who have not accepted Jesus Christ in their lifetime, and are now in the grave, wait for God to raise them in a unique resurrection after the millennial kingdom. Most of mankind, regardless of race, nation, culture, and time in history will come to know their God.
God has given everyone a time for salvation. God’s plan is a wonderful one, guaranteed for success!
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