We continue with the subject of,

The Millennium and the End of Sin

The Resurrection of Condemnation

According to our Adventist friends following the earth having been purified by fire and left desolate for a thousand years they say:

“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 stated before Adventist (as well as most of the rest of Orthodoxy) paint a rather gloomy fate for the majority of mankind, and remember this doesn’t just apply to those living during the gospel age, but likewise to those who live for all those 4000 years prior to this, prior to the arrival of our Lord Christ Jesus, for as you recall, there is no other name given under heaven whereby we might be saved accept that of Christ, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) Since none of these poor souls prior to our Lord’s first advent had ever even heard of him let alone been given the opportunity to believe in him, then according to orthodox view they are all for the most part eternally lost. A very poor outlook indeed.

We will not here go into the specifics of all the texts quoted above by our Adventist friends as we have already covered most of them in Parts 28-33 in this study under “Death and Resurrection” (which please see), however there are three important questions which need to be properly answered and understood. The first is,

What is a resurrection, and what does it entail?

The word “resurrection” is from the Greek “anastasis” which means a full, complete rising up out of death conditions into perfection of life conditions, It signifies to raise up again, thus implying that a thing was once up and fell down, and is to be brought up again to the place where it originally was, (restored to all that was lost), if not higher.

While the word “anastasis” signifies rising again, it in no sense limits the process so as to make it either instantaneous or gradual, neither does anastasis change the nature of the being.

Mankind will be awakened in the same condition in which they died, “children of disobedience”, but they will be granted the opportunity of standing up again, of resurrection, of full recovery from the fall into sin and imperfection. This is the meaning of the word “resurrection”-standing up again.

Next up is,

What does the Resurrection of Condemnation (John 5:29) consists of?

This is a very poor translation (NKJV), but still much better than the Authorized version, viz., the Resurrection of Damnation. In the original Greek Strong’s # 2920 the word used here is rendered, “krisis,” a decision, or “turning point”, subjective or objective, for or against, a tribunal, the process of trying or testing the fitness, truth, strength, and/or other quality of a person or thing, thus “the process of judgment”, thus the Resurrection of Judgement or better yet the Resurrection of Trial.

In contrast the word judgment as found in (1 Pet 4:17), “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”, is Strong’s # 2917 “krima,” the result of judging, the final decision or conclusion of judgment, conclude, determine, sentence to, the judgment (pronounced).

Thus, the word, judgment includes the idea of a trial time (krisis) as well as a decision based on that trial (krima). For example, when Adam was tried in the Garden of Eden, this was his “krisis” period, (testing) to determine whether or not he would obey God, he felled and thus came the pronounced judgment or “krima”, the sentence of death. “…Dying thou shall die.” (Gen 2:17)

This resurrection will be a resurrection of judgment, that is mankind will be put on trial for life. NOT a judgment, or trial, for past sins; but another trial for life. Keep in mind what was stated in (2 Cor 5:19) that “…God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, NOT imputing their trespasses to them…”

We were all tried and condemned once already though Adam, and now a second chance for life comes to all through Christ Jesus-an individual chance.
“So then as through one trespass [the judgment came] unto ALL MEN to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness [the free gift came] unto ALL MEN to justification of life.” (Rom 5:18)

This judgement or “krisis” period, the resurrection of trial will be a gradual resurrection; the awakening will be a preparatory work, not the full resurrection, but one, which will require the entire thousand years to accomplish.

We will take a look at the third question in our next post.