We continue with the subject of,

The Millennium and the End of Sin

The Resurrection of Condemnation

A little review of what Seventh Day Adventist have to say will take place leading up to our final segment on the Millennium and the End of Sin.

“The “saints” will live with God in the New Earth. In Isaiah 35:9-10 we are told, “But only the redeemed will walk there, and those who the Lord has rescued will return.”

Seventh Day Adventist believe that during the time that the saints are reigning in heaven the earth will be desolate for a thousand years.

The Earth Becomes Desolate. Since the righteous ascend to be with the Lord and the wicked are destroyed at His appearing, the earth stands for a time without human inhabitants. Scripture points to such a situation. Jeremiah said, “I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there was no man” (Jer. 4:23-25). Jeremiah’s use of the terminology found in Genesis 1:2, “without form, and void,” indicates that the earth is to become as chaotic as it was at the beginning of Creation.

The Cleansing of the Earth. Describing the day of the Lord, when all traces of sin will be eliminated, Peter said, “The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

The fire that destroys the wicked purifies the earth from the pollution of sin. Out of the ruins of this earth God will bring “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev. 21:1). From this cleansed, re-created earth—the eternal home of the redeemed—God will forever banish mourning, pain, and death (Rev. 21:4). Finally, the curse sin brought will have been lifted (Rev. 22:3).

The Resurrection of Condemnation. Now the moment has arrived that will complete the fulfillment of Christ’s promise that “‘all who are in the graves will hear His voice'” (John 5:28). At His second advent Christ brought the righteous dead from their graves in the first resurrection, “the resurrection of life.” Now the other resurrection Jesus spoke of will take place, “‘the resurrection of condemnation'” (John 5:29). Revelation also refers to this resurrection: “The rest of the dead [those who were not raised in the first resurrection] did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (Rev. 20:5).

God sets up His great white throne. As the entire human race meets around this throne—some secure inside the city, others outside, terrified in the presence of the Judge—God will carry out the last phase of judgment. This is the time Christ spoke of when He said, “‘There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out'” (Luke 13:28).

To carry out this executive phase of the judgment, God’s record books will be opened. “And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Rev. 20:12). Then God pronounces the sentence of doom.”

As you can see Adventist paint the same end time picture as do most of the rest of the various creeds of Christendom, one of promise and forever happiness for the few, and one of doom and despair for the rest.

As is per usual with regards to the professing church (the church nominal) this is based primarily upon their own unique interpretation of scripture, wherein they wrestle with the scriptures in order to force them to support their own particular doctrine or teaching. Often times they will rely upon only one or two obscure passages which they have misinterpreted in support their beliefs. We believe this to be the case here with our Adventist friends. Not only have they misinterpreted the meaning and intent behind the various text quoted, but they appear to have no idea as to exactly what a resurrection truly entails. This is a common problem with the professing church as a whole.

Keep in mind the field (the world, especially that part which is considered Christendom) consist of both “wheat” and “tares”. Both profess Christ and to be Christians (disciples or followers of Christ), but the tares are only imitation Christians, nominal Christians, Christians in name only. “Having a form (an outward show of piety, morality) of godliness, but denying its power.” (2 Tim 3:5). With their mouths, their lips they profess God, but their hearts are far from him focused more upon worldly things.

With some it may be their homes, families, jobs, careers, or some other worldly aspiration, with others it is their intense devotion to their Church (their particular sect or denomination). Their Church and its propagation, means more to them than does the truth and as such more than Christ. In other words, should they find that certain errors are being taught there, they tend to overlook these for the sake of peace deeming them as merely misinterpretations or misunderstandings, not worth contending over.

After all isn’t peace amongst the brethren the most important thing?

The apostle James would disagree, he states that “The wisdom which comes from above is FIRST pure, THEN peaceable, gentle, willing to yield to reason (but not to error) …” James 3:17

NOT peace first, but purity first, truth first. God first, his will, his plan, his way. It is earthly wisdom, which suggest “peace at any cost”, which commands the conscience to be silent when others are promoting errors so that selfish peace may be promoted.

In a real wheat field if left unchecked weeds can easily overtake the field and become the predominant growth, and such has been the case with respects to the Lord’s wheat field it has been overtaken by the false church, by the tares. They outnumber the Lord’s true people roughly ten to one and thus they tend not only to be the majority but likewise to hold all the predominant positions of leadership, and as such they dictate and interpret the doctrines taught.

The problem with this is that tares are NOT begotten of the spirit no matter what they may have been taught and believe. One cannot be begotten by error (false doctrines and teachings). Begettal comes only “by the word of truth” (James 1:18). Understand tares are not all bad people, we like to think that the greater percentage of them are very honest and morally upstanding individuals, howbeit blind, misled and misguided, but this alone, of itself is not enough to make them spirit begotten, and in consequence “taught of the spirit, (1 Cor 2:13), this comes only through the spirit of truth.

Not being “led of the spirit” they can neither perceive nor rightly divide spiritual things as those who are begotten can, nevertheless since they pretty much hold all the leading positions in the profess church their teachings are generally accepted and considered as gospel (truth). The fact is they are but the blind guides of the blind. “Those who guide these people mislead them and those who are guided are led astray”. (Isa 9:16)

Continued with next post.