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EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH:
CLARENCE LARKIN:
THE SPIRIT WORLD:
PART 4: CHAPTERS 17-19
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THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. THAT IS WHY HE IS GOD.

Do you know for a fact that if you were to die today that you would not go to hell? If you do not know, click here.

Chapter 17: THE RESURRECTIONS Chapter 18: THE RESURRECTION BODY Chapter 19: THE JUDGMENTS XVII The Resurrection The Scriptures speak of three kinds of resurrection. 1. NATIONAL. This refers to Israel who are now nationally dead and buried in the "Graveyard of the Nations," but who are to be revived and restored to their own land. Hos 6:1-2. 2. SPIRITUAL. This refers to those who are spiritually dead in "Trespasses and Sins." Eph 2:1-6. Eph 5:14. Rom 6:11. This is a "Present Resurrection" and is going on continually. Every time a soul is "born again" there is a passing from "death" unto "life," a "Spiritual Resurrection." Joh 5:24. 3. PHYSICAL. This is of the dead body. The "Spirit" of man does not die, it goes back to God who gave it. All that goes into the grave is the body, and all that can come out of the grave is the body. THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY Jesus clearly and distinctly taught a resurrection "from the grave." "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the 'Resurrection of LIFE,' and they that have done evil unto the 'Resurrection of DAMNATION.' " Joh 5:28, 29. Here Jesus teaches the resurrection of both the "Righteous" and the "Wicked." The Apostle Paul taught the same thing. "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the Dead, both of the Just (justified), and of the Unjust (unjustified)." Act 24:15. "For as in Adam all die (physically), even so in Christ shall all be made alive (physically)." 1 Co 15:22. That the Apostle means "physical" death, and "physical" resurrection here, is clear, for it is the body, and not the spirit that he is discoursing about, and so the Universalist has no "proof text" here for the doctrine of "Universal Salvation." These passages clearly teach that there is to be a resurrection of "all the dead," and if we did not look any further, we would be led to believe that the Righteous and the Wicked are not only to rise, but that they are to rise at the "same time." But when we turn to the Book of Revelation we find that the Righteous are to rise "before" the Wicked, and not simply precede them, but there is a space of a 1000 years between the two Resurrections. Rev 20:4, Rev 20:5. "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them." This refers to the saints of the First Resurrection, who, represented by the "Four and Twenty Elders" of Rev 4:4, are seen seated on thrones surrounding the Throne of God. "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 worshipped 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." These are the "Tribulation Saints." John first saw them in their "martyred" condition (as souls), then he saw them rise from the dead (they lived again), and they, with the First Resurrection Saints, reigned with Christ a Thousand Years. "But the rest of the dead (the wicked), lived not again until the 'Thousand Years' were finished." THE RESURECTIONS Click Here For Larger Image The rest of the verse – "This is the 'First Resurrection,' " refers not to the "rest of the dead," but to those in verse 4, who lived and reigned with Christ for a 1000 years, for: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the First Resurrection, on such the Second Death (the doom of the Wicked, Rev 20:14, Rev 20:15), hath no power, but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ, and shall Reign With Him a THOUSAND YEARS." Rev 20:6. That the Dead are to rise in different bands or cohorts, with an "interval of time" between, is beautifully brought out in 1Co 15:22-24. "For as in Adam all die (physically), even so in Christ shall all be made alive (physically). But every man in his own order." The word translated "order" is a military expression, and means a band, cohort, brigade or division of an army. Paul then gives the order: 1. "Christ the First Fruits." 2. "Afterward they that Are Christ's At His Coming." 3. "Then cometh The End." Now we know that between "Christ the First Fruits," and they that "are Christ's at His Coming," there has already been nearly 1900 years, and as we have seen there will be 1000 years between the resurrection of those that "are Christ's at His Coming" and the "Wicked dead," therefore there is not to be a simultaneous resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked. Already there has been an "OUT Resurrection" from "among the dead." When Jesus expired on the Cross "the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many BODIES OF THE SAINTS which slept AROSE, and came out of their graves AFTER HIS RESURRECTION (they could not precede Him), and WENT INTO THE HOLY CITY (Jerusalem), AND APPEARED TO MANY." Mat 27:50-53. They with Jesus made up the "FIRST FRUITS," and they are now in their resurrection bodies with Him in glory. It has been objected that the passage in Rev 20:4, Rev 20:5, is the "only" place in the Bible where a "length of time" is given between the resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked, and that it is not fair to base such an important fact upon a single statement found in such a symbolic Book. But we do not have to depend on Rev 20:4-6 to prove that there is to be an "out" Resurrection "from among the dead." There are a number of passages referring to the resurrection of the dead that are unexplainable only on the supposition that there is a "time space" between the resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked. In the reply that Jesus made to the Sudducees in answer to their question as to whose wife the woman would be in the next world who had had seven husbands in this, He said – "They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world (Age), and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more (Second Death) ; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the 'Children of God' being the children of THE (out) Resurrection." Luk 20:35, Luk 20:36. This is a very important statement. The use of the Greek word "Aion," translated "world," means "Age," shows that Jesus is speaking of a "class of dead" who are to be raised "before" the next or "Millennial Age," and that those thus raised can "die no more," there is no "Second Death" for them. Why? Because they are "equal unto the angels" and are the "Children of God," having been "born again," and are the "Children of THE Resurrection," the "Out FROM AMONG The Dead" or FIRST RESURRECTION, for only the "Children" of the "First Resurrection" shall live again "before" the Millennium. In Luk 14:14 Jesus speaks of a "special" resurrection that He calls the Resurrection of the "JUST." This is an "Out Resurrection" from "among the dead," and is only for the "Justified," and must refer to the "First" Resurrection. The writer to the Hebrews (Heb 11:35) speaks of a "better" Resurrection, and it is a significant fact that the Apostles preached through Jesus the Resurrection "from the dead." Not the Resurrection "of" the dead, that they always believed, but the Resurrection "from among" the dead, that was a "New Doctrine." There is no question but that Paul believed in the resurrection "of" the dead, and that he expected to rise "some time," but in his letter to the Philippians (3:11) he expresses the hope that he might "attain unto 'THE' resurrection of the dead." Paul must therefore have had in mind some "special" Resurrection. What Paul meant is clear when we turn to 1Th 4:15-17, where he speaks of the resurrection of the "dead in Christ" and "translation of the living saints," at the Second Coming of the Lord, and as Christ is to come back to usher in the Millennium, then that event must "precede" the Millennium, and be an "Out Resurrection from among the dead," for the "rest of the dead" live not again until the 1000 years "are finished." But the resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked is not only to be different as to "time" but as to CHARACTER. They that have done "good" (the Righteous) shall rise unto the "Resurrection of LIFE," while they that have done "evil" (the Wicked) shall rise unto the "Resurrection of DAMNATION." Joh 5:28-29. And we read in Rev 20:12-15, that those who are raised at the Second Resurrection, or the "Resurrection of Damnation," must appear at the "GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT," and that their names shall not be found written in the "Book of Life," and they shall be cast into the "Lake of Fire," which is the "SECOND DEATH." THE MANNER OF THE RESURRECTION It is claimed by many that the departure of the Soul and Spirit from the body at death is what is meant by the Resurrection. But that cannot be so for the dead (the body) are to rise from their "GRAVES." Joh 5:28-29. The objection to the resurrection of the body is based on the supposition that bodies that have been eaten by animals, blown to atoms, or destroyed by fire or quicklime cannot be restored. But nothing is impossible with GOD. Luk 1:37. Act 26:8. Paul reveals the manner of the Resurrection in 1Co 15:35-54. It is called – THE GERM THEORY. That is, that in every human body there is a "LIVING GERM" that is indestructible, and though the body turn to dust that "Living Germ" will continue to exist in the grave, or wherever it may have been deposited, and like the seed in the ground will spring into "immortal life" when the time for the resurrection of the body shall come. XVIII The Resurrection Body The "Resurrection Body" is not a body of "Flesh" and "Blood," for "flesh" and "blood" cannot inherit the "Kingdom of God." 1 Co 15:50. Blood is the source of corruption and decay, therefore there can be no blood in the Resurrection body. To preserve a human body it must be drained of blood, or the blood chemically preserved by an embalming fluid. The office of the blood is to convey to the tissues of the body, that are wasting away, the elements that will keep them in repair. Hunger and thirst are nature's warning that the body is wasting away and must have food and drink to replace the waste, or the body will die. But when we get our Resurrection body we shall neither hunger nor thirst any more (Rev 7:16), a sign that our bodies shall no longer waste away, therefore we will need no blood. In Heaven there will be no sickness or death, both of which are caused by corruption, and there will be no necessity for night, for night is for sleep, and sleep is not necessary where there is no need for recuperation. Neither will there be any more pain, for pain is caused by diseased tissue. But while we shall not have a body of "Flesh" and "Blood," we shall have a body of "Flesh and Bones," such as Jesus had after His Resurrection. Luk 24:39. Physicians tell us that the bursting of a human heart is caused by a draining of all the blood in the body to the heart, which bursts under the pressure. If this be true, then Christ's heart had burst before the sac that held it was pierced by the Roman soldier's spear, and so His whole body was drained of what blood was left in it after the "bloody sweat" of Gethsemane, and the hemorrhages of the nail pierced hands, and what was laid in the grave was only "FLESH" and "BONES." But the "Flesh" of our Resurrection body will not be human flesh but flesh adapted to the "Spirit World," and as such a body will require a "framework," that framework will be of bones suitable for a "Spirit Body." Thus our "Spirit Body" will be a "vehicle" adapted to every need of our "Spirit," and be able to convey us anywhere in the Universe of God. It will differ as much from our present body as the body of the "Butterfly" differs from the "Caterpillar" from which it rose in resurrection from the grave of the "cocoon." Let us look at the character of the "Resurrection Body." The Apostle says that – 1. "It is sown in 'Corruption,' it is raised in 'INCORRUPTION.'" "It is sown in corruption." This is the truth unvarnished. It is sown in foul rottenness. Says the Apostle -- "Our conversation is in Heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our 'VILE BODY,' that it may be fashioned like unto His Glorious Body." Phi 3:20-21. To box a man up because his presence cannot possibly be tolerated in his own home one day longer, to convey him away in a hearse from his family, and friends, and society; from church and bank; from store and office, from shop and mill, and deposit his remains seven feet beneath the sod to protect the community from the vile odors that would contaminate the atmosphere, is" what the Apostle means by "SOWN IN CORRUPTION." When Abraham appealed to the children of Heth, saying, "I am a stranger and sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead OUT OF MY SIGHT" (Gen 23:4), the scene is pathetic. What dead one was it he thus desired to put out of his sight? None other than that beautiful woman he delighted to call Sarai, my Princess. To avoid burial, and prevent corruption, the ancient Egyptians embalmed their dead and preserved their remains in expensive and beautiful mummy cases, a process now numbered among the lost arts. In order to banish the thought of corruption the East Indian Emperor, Shah Jehan, reared the incomparable marble palace – "TAJ MAHAL," over the decaying remains of his beloved wife. And as if to rob death of its terrors and express a belief in the immortality of the body, magnificent buildings have been erected, like "Westminster Abbey," in which the great and noble have been entombed. But all the beauties of architecture, and the skill of the sculptor's chisel, cannot rob the grave of its repulsiveness. But while the body is sown in "corruption" it is to be raised in "INCORRUPTION." "It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like HIM." 1 Jo 3:2. "For this corruptible must put on INCORRUPTION, and this mortal must put on IMMORTALITY." 1 Co 15:53-54. And when that shall take place?"Death will be SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY." O happy day, when the undressed soul shall put on the fadeless beauty and undying glory of the Resurrection body. That will be the Easter of all Easters, when the voice of the Archangel shall summon the sainted dead to rise, and corruption shall put on incorruption, and we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the Air. 1Thess. 4:13-18. 2. "It is sown in 'Dishonor,' it is raised 'IN GLORY.'" How many a body has been sown in dishonor through some ancestral sin or some inherited propensity, through some depraved appetite or unnatural passion, some physical disfigurement or unsightly deformity that it carried from the cradle to the tomb. But the Resurrection will end all this. It shall be raised IN GLORY. No more shame or dishonor about it because no more sin. No more disfigurement or blemish, because our Resurrection body shall be like unto His Glorious body. 3. "It is sown in 'Weakness,' it is raised in 'POWER.' " A corpse is the embodiment of weakness. But if that lifeless body be the body of one of God's saints He will raise it with power. Not only will He display power in its resurrection, upheaving graves, breaking into vaults, and shattering mausoleums if necessary, but the raised body will be possessed of power. This power includes more than physical power. It means an enlargement of our present faculties. a. SIGHT Take "Sight" for example. Our present range of vision is limited. If we want to see at a distance we take a telescope, if we want to examine minute objects we use a microscope, if we want to discover the cause of some disorder in the human body we resort to the "X Ray." When our vision is impaired we use eye-glasses. We have power to see through a pane of glass, but not through a sheet of iron. We are surrounded on all sides by a universe of objects and creatures that the human eye cannot see. If our spiritual eyes were opened we would see spirit beings about us, as did the young man at Dothan (2Ki 6:15-17) and as Nebuchadnezzar saw one like unto the Son of God walking in the midst of the Burning Fiery Furnace. Dan 3:24-25. b. HEARING Our "Hearing" also is defective. There are sounds too high, and too low for the human ear. We can hear the footfall of a horse, but if we want to hear the footfall of a fly we must use the Microphone. We can multiply the power of the human voice by the use of the Megaphone, and the Telephone increases the power of the human ear. If man can invent such instruments to augment his power of hearing, what cannot God do for the ear when He endows it with the power of the Resurrection body? c. TASTE Taste implies a mouth, tongue, palate, and digestive organs. This raises the question of eating and drinking in the next world. Why not? Jesus ate in His Resurrection body. He said to His Disciples at the last supper?"I will drink no more of the 'Fruit of the Vine,' until that day that I drink it new in the KINGDOM OF GOD." Mar 14:25. In Rev 22:2 we read of the "Tree of Life" which bears twelve kinds of fruit, a different kind for each month. The fruit of these trees are for "Overcomes" only (Rev 2:7), while the leaves are for the healing or preservation of the Nations that shall occupy the New Earth. While, as we have seen, there will be no occasion for eating in the next world to supply the waste of the body, yet doubtless one of the pleasures of the Heavenly World will be eating and drinking. d. MEMORY How quickly we forget! But the fault is not with the mind, but the brain. We all know that sickness and old age affect the memory. But when we reach that land where there is no sickness, and where the inhabitants never grow old, then the brain shall be perfect in its powers, and memory shall never fail or fade. The words of Abraham to the "Rich Man" – "SON REMEMBER" (Luk 16:25) are an implication that the "worm that shall never die" to the wicked will be "MEMORY." When we speak of having a poor memory, we mean we have a poor "remembrancer." Memory is like the recording cylinders of a Phonograph, it preserves the doings of our life, and at the Judgment will recall every "idle word" and justify the fairness of our sentence. If the powers of the Resurrection body shall only be the increasing and intensifying of our present natural powers, they will be surpassingly grand, but the Scriptures teach that our present faculties and powers are to be wonderfully multiplied. Now our means of locomotion are limited. We have feet with which to walk, and we have multiplied our means of travel until we can, by the aid of the Automobile and Aeroplane, traverse great distances in a very short time, but in our Resurrection body we shall be able to pass with the swiftness of the lightning from earth to Heaven. When Daniel began to pray the angel Gabriel was commanded to go to him, and "flying swiftly" he reached Daniel's side before he finished his prayer. Dan. 9 : 20-23. The angels know where they are going and why. They know the highways and byways of the "Stellar Spaces," and how to steer their course through the labyrinth of suns and systems ana radiant orbs. They have "telescopic," "microscopic" and "X Ray" vision. They need neither the "Telephone" nor "Wireless" to communicate with each other. The flight of a bird is limited to the atmosphere, the flight of angels has no limit inside the boundaries of the Universe. 4. "It is sown a 'Natural' body, it is raised a 'SPIRITUAL' body." By "Spiritual" body we are not to understand some sort of – "Etherealized Ghostlike Structure" that has no substance. As we have already seen, the "Spirit Body" is a material body with "Spirit" qualities and faculties, subject to the higher natural laws of the "Spirit World." Every "Force" in the Universe must have a "Motor" adapted to its use. We cannot utilize the power of "Steam" without the Steam Engine, nor the power of "Electricity" without the Dynamo. The motive force of the human body is the "Soul," and of the "Resurrection Body" the "SPIRIT." "The 'First Adam' was made a 'Living Soul'; the 'Last Adam' a 'QUICKENING SPIRIT.'" 1 Co 15:45. That is, we got from the "First Adam" our natural body, adapted to the use of its "motor force" the "Soul," and from the "Second Adam" we get our "Resurrection Body" adapted to its "motor force" the "SPIRIT." This is what the Apostle means when he says of our body?"It is sown a 'Natural' body, it is raised a 'SPIRITUAL' body." If we are to have such gloriously endowed bodies in the next world, why should we so regret to part with these poor weak bodies of flesh? Why pamper and cherish, and adorn a body that is soon to feed the worms? While there should be no regret at parting from these physical bodies of ours, we must not forget that by losing them we become incomplete. That is, we are no longer "Body," "Soul" and "Spirit," but only "Soul" and "Spirit." We have seen how the "Spirit" in its "Soulish Body" in the "Intermediate State" is conscious, but it is subject to limitations. The Righteous are confined to "Paradise" and the Wicked to "Hell." It is not until the Righteous get their "Resurrection Body," and again become a Trinity of "Body," "Soul" and "Spirit," that they have the freedom and powers of angelic beings to roam the Universe. This explains the prayer of the Apostle?"I pray God your WHOLE SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY be preserved blameless unto the COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST." 1 Th 5:23. That is, the Apostle hoped that the Saints at Thessalonica would not die before the Lord's return, so that without losing their body by death, their physical body would be changed to their "Glorified Body" and they be caught up like Enoch and Elijah to meet the Lord in the Air. See the context. 1 Th 4:17. THE RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION There is a dark side to the picture we have painted. If the Resurrection of the Righteous is unto "LIFE," the Resurrection of the Wicked is unto "DAMNATION." John 5 : 28-29. There are two verses in 1 Cor. 15, the 37th and 38th, that throw light on the above. "That which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of SOME OTHER GRAIN, ... to every seed his OWN BODY." There is a law in the natural world, that?"Whatsoever a man soweth that shall be also reap." Gal 6:7-8. A man cannot sow tares and reap wheat. To every seed its own body. If a man die without the Christ Life, he cannot rise to a Christ-like resurrection. The difference between the "Resurrection of LIFE" and the "Resurrection of DAMNATION" as to character no human language can portray. They are as far apart as Heaven and Hell. Dear reader, to which of these Resurrections will you arise? As our resurrection bodies will have visible "form" and "shape" it stands to reason that they will have a framework of "flesh" and "bones," but it will be "flesh" and "bones" adapted to its new environment. We must not forget that Enoch and Elijah went up in their "bodies." Presumably their bodies were "glorified" in the transit, but they were not "disembodied," and if they have use for a "body" in Heaven why not we? Is it reasonable to suppose that only those two saints shall be in Heaven in their bodies? Why did Michael the Archangel contend with the Devil over the "body" of Moses, if Moses had no further need of it? Did not he and Elijah have use for their bodies when they appeared on the Mt. of Transfiguration with Jesus ? And if they were "the" two men that stood by in "white apparel" when Jesus ascended (Act 1:9-11), and are to be the "Two Witnesses" of Rev 11:3-6, we see that as they are the "type" of the Resurrected and Translated Saints, that the Saints at the Rapture will have "bodies" like Moses and Elijah now have. The Resurrection of Christ with those who arose with Him was the "First Fruits," the Resurrection of the "Righteous" is the "Harvest," of the "Tribulation" Saints the "Gleanings," and the "Wicked" are the "Tares." It has been objected that if all the dead that have ever lived on this earth were to be raised at one time there would not be standing room. But as we have seen they are not to be all raised at the same time, for the Righteous shall rise and be taken off the earth a 1000 years before the Wicked. But suppose they were. The present population of the world is 1,700,000,000. A generation is generally counted as 33 years. Suppose for argument there had been 1,700,000,000 on the earth in Adam's day, and that that many had died every 33 years since, that would make the dead up to 1900 A. D., 4000 B. C. years + 1900 A. D. years = 5900 years / 33 = 178 generations of 1,700,000,000 people each = 302,600, 000,000 dead, who if they were raised and were each given a square yard to stand on, could stand on less than one- half of the state of Texas. XIX The Judgments The common opinion that the Millennium is to be ushered in by the preaching of the Gospel, and that after the Millennium there is to be a "General Resurrection" followed by a "General Judgment," and then the earth is to be destroyed by fire is not Scriptural. There can be no "General" Judgment because the Scriptures speak of one Judgment as being in the "Air" (1Th 4:16, 1Th 4:17; 2Co 5:6-10); another on the "Earth" (Mat 25:31-46); and a third in "Heaven," the earth and its atmosphere having fled away. Rev 20:11-15. And to make sure that these three separate Judgments should not be combined in one General Judgment scene, three different Thrones are mentioned. 1. The "Judgment Seat of Christ." 2 Co 5:10. "In the Air." For "Believers" only. 2. The "Throne of Glory." Mat 25:31, 32 "On the Earth." For "The Nations." 3. The "Great White Throne." Rev 20:11, Rev 20:12. "In Heaven." For the "Wicked Dead." The Scriptures speak of Five Separate Judgments. They differ in five general aspects. As to "Subjects," "Time," "Place," "Basis of Judgment" and "Result." JUDGMENT NO. 1 1. Subjects – Believers as to "SIN." 2. Time – A. D. 30. 3. Place – Calvary. 4. Basis of Judgment. Christ's "FINISHED WORK." 5. Result – A. Death as to Christ. B. Justification as to the Believer. This Judgment is PAST. The Bible proofs of the results of this Judgment are Rom 10:4. "For Christ is the END OF THE LAW for righteousness to every one that Believeth." "There is therefore NOW no condemnation (Judgment) to them which are in CHRIST JESUS, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the Law of the 'SPIRIT OF LIFE' in Christ Jesus hath made me FREE From the Law of 'Sin and Death.'" Rom 8:1, 2. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE and shall not come into condemnation (Judgment) but IS PASSED From Death Unto Life." Joh 5:24. The "Believer's" Judgment for Sin then is PAST, and was settled at the Cross. But we must not forget that the Judgment of the Believer is threefold. 1. As a "Sinner." 2. As a "Son." 3. As a "Servant." As we have already seen his Judgment as a "Sinner" is Past. Let us look at his judgment THE JUDGMENTS Click Here For A Larger Image 2. As a "Son." As soon as the sinner accepts Christ as his personal Saviour that settles the "Sin" question for him. For if our iniquities are laid on Him (Jesus), then they are not on Us. Isa 53:5, Isa 53:6. But the "Sin" question, and the "Sins" question are two different things. Christ died on the Cross to atone for "sin," to pay the penalty of Adam's disobedience in the Garden of Eden. "Sin" is that tendency in mankind to do wrong which we call "Natural Depravity." We do not get rid of this "tendency" by the "New Birth," but we get a "counteracting force" called the "New Nature." We become a "dual personality," composed of the "Old" and "New Natures," and which shall predominate depends on which we feed and which we starve. This explains the "warfare" that Paul describes as his experience, after his conversion, in Rom 7:1-25. This warfare will continue until the "Old" nature is eradicated at death. "Sins" are the outward acts of wrongdoing that we commit as the result of our tendency to sin. These sins must be put away daily by "confession." 'My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an 'Advocate' with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 Jo 2:1. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 Jo 1:9. Our Judgment as "Sons" is for "unconfessed sins." The punishment is chastisement. This explains much of the chastisement of Christians, and should show them that they are "Sons" and not "Bastards." Heb 12:5-11. Paul says – "If we would 'judge ourselves' we should not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned (Judged) with the world." 1 Co 11:31, 32. Our duty then as "Sons" is to "self-judge" ourselves daily, "confess our sins," and so avert the chastisement of our Heavenly Father 3. As a Servant. This leads us to? JUDGMENT NO. 2 1. Subjects – Believers as to "WORKS." 2. Time – After The Church is caught out. 3. Place – "Judgment Seat of Christ" (in the Air). 4. Basis of Judgment – Their "WORKS." 5. Result – Reward or Loss. This Judgment is FUTURE. "We must all appear before the 'Judgment Seat of Christ,' that every one may receive the things 'done in the body' according to that he hath done, whether it be 'good' or 'bad' (worthless)." 2 Co 5:10. The pronoun "We" occurs 26 times in the chapter, and in every instance it means the Believer, and the Epistle is addressed to the "Church" and "Saints" at Corinth, so the Judgment here spoken of is for Believers "only." The "Time" of the Judgment is when the Lord comes (1Co 4:5), and the "Place" is "in the air" (1Th 4:17) and before the Judgment Seat of Christ. THE TWO JUDGMENTS OF THE BELIEVER Click Here For A Larger View It will not be a Judgment in the sense of a "trial" to see whether the judged are innocent (saved) or guilty (lost), for it is a Judgment of the "saved only." It will be like the Judges' stand at a Fair, or Race Track, where rewards are distributed to the successful contestants. Paul describes such a scene in 1Co 9:24-27. It is not a Judgment for sin, but for "works." This Judgment is described in 1Co 3:11-15. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones (valuable building stones, as marble, etc.), wood, hay, stubble; every man's 'Work' shall be made manifest; for the 'Day' (Judgment Day) shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by 'fire,' and the fire shall try every man's 'work' of what sort it is. If any man's work 'abide' which he hath built there upon he shall receive a 'reward.' If any man's work shall be 'burned' he shall suffer 'loss;' but 'he himself shall be saved;' yet so as by fire." The result of this Judgment is "reward" or "loss." All our "bad" and "dead works," represented by the wood, hay and stubble, will be consumed, and only our "good works" shall remain. There is much which passes for Christian service which is merely human and secular, and does not count in our eternal reward. For those who deserve a "reward" it will be The Crowning Day. After the Grecian games were all over the runners, wrestlers, and successful contestants assembled before the "Bema," or Judges' stand, which was an elevated seat on which the Umpire sat, and the winners received a "corruptible crown" of "laurel leaves." Some had no reward, they had lost the "Victor's Crown." But while there was no reward there was no punishment, they were not cast out. THE JUDGMENT OF REWARD Click Here For A Larger View The New Testament speaks of Five Crowns. See Chart, the "Judgment of Reward," next page. 1. The Crown of "LIFE." This is the "Martyr's" crown, and is mentioned twice. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation (testing), for when he is 'tried' (at the Judgment Seat of Christ), he shall receive the 'Crown of Life' which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him." Jam 1:12. "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer; behold, the Devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried (tested) and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful 'unto death,' and I will give thee a 'Crown of Life.'" Rev 2:10. Notice it does not say "until" death, but "unto" death. They were not to recant but to remain faithful unto a martyr's death. To recant was to lose the crown. This refers to the martyrs of the Tribulation Period. 2. The Crown of "GLORY." This is the "Elder's" or "Pastor's" crown, given by the Chief Shepherd when He shall appear. But it is not for those who serve for "filthy lucre" or "lord it over God's heritage." 1 Pe 5:2-4. 3. The Crown of "REJOICING." This is the "Soul Winner's" crown. Those brought to Jesus by us will be our "crown of rejoicing" at His Coming. 1Th 2:19, 1Th 2:20. Phi 4:1. 4. The Crown of "RIGHTEOUSNESS." This is the crown of those who "love His appearing" and will be given in "that day"?the Day of His Appearing. 2Ti 4:8. 5. The Crown "INCORRUPTIBLE." This is the "Victor's" crown, and is for those who "keep under their body" (1 Co 9:25-27); who do not yield to their fleshly lusts. Who do not permit themselves to be diverted from the Master's work by worldly amusements and pleasure, nor saturate their body with drugs. If we do not want to be "ashamed at His Coming," (1Jo 2:28), let us see to it that we keep our body "under" and so live that we shall secure a crown. JUDGMENT NO. 3 1. Subjects – The JEWS. 2. Time – "The Great Tribulation." 3. Place – Jerusalem and Vicinity. 4. Basis of Judgment – Rejection of the Godhead. 5. Result – Their Conversion and Reception of Christ as Their Messiah. This Judgment is FUTURE. While the Church is being judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ in the air, the Jews will be judged under Antichrist on the earth. The Jews are an "earthly" people; and as all the promises to them are "earthly," it follows that their Judgment must be of an "earthly" character. The basis of their Judgment is their "rejection of the Godhead." In the days of Samuel they rejected God the Father. 1Sa 8:7. In the days of Christ they rejected God the Son. Luk 23:18. In the days of Stephen they rejected God the Holy Spirit. Act 7:51, Act 7:54-60. For their sin they have been scattered among the nations until the "Times of the Gentiles" are fulfilled. When the "Times of the Gentiles" are about to end the Jews will be gathered back to the Holy Land "unconverted," and caused to "pass under the rod." Ez. 20:34-38. They will be cast into God's "Melting Pot" (Ez. 22:19-22), and pass through an experience spoken of by Jeremiah and Daniel as the "TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE." Jer 30:4-7. Dan 12:1. Christ calls it "The Great Tribulation," and He and Zechariah the Prophet associate it with the "Return of the Lord." Mat 24:21-31. Zec 14:1-11. The human agent the Lord will use will be Antichrist, the awfulness of whose rule will be supplemented by the pouring out of the "Vials of God's wrath" upon the earth. Rev. 15:1, 5-8, Rev. 16:1-21. The result of these terrible Judgments will be that the Jews will call in their misery upon the Lord. Zec 12:10. Then Christ will come back to the Mt. of Olives (Zech. 14:4) and the Jews will look upon Him whom they "pierced" (Zec 12:10), and a nation, the Jewish Nation, shall be "born (converted) in a day." Isa 66:8. This will complete the Judgment of the Jews. JUDGMENT NO. 4 1. Subjects – The NATIONS (Gentiles). 2. Time – The "Revelation of Christ." 3. Place – The "Throne of His Glory." On the Earth?"Valley of Jehoshaphat." 4. Basis of Judgment – Their Treatment of Christ's Brethren – The Jews. 5. Result – Some Nations "SAVED," Others "DESTROYED." This Judgment is FUTURE. THE DISPENSATION OF JUDGMENT Click Here For A Larger Image The account of this Judgment is given in Mat 25:31-46. The description of this Judgment, and of the one given in Rev 20:11-15 are combined by many, and taken to teach the doctrine of a general Judgment. But when we compare them they differ so widely that it is evident that they do not describe the same event. What God has put asunder let no man join together. The following comparison will show the difference in the two accounts: Matt. 25:31-46. 1. No Resurrection. 2. Living Nations Judged. 3. On the Earth. Joel 3:2. 4. No Books Mentioned. 5. Three Classes Named. "Sheep," "Goats," "Brethren." 6. Time – Before the Millennium. Rev. 20:11-15. 1. A Resurrection. 2. Dead Judged. 3. Heaven and Earth Gone. 4. Books Opened. 5. One Class Named. "The Dead." 6. Time – After the Millennium. This comparison reveals the fact that one of these Judgments is "on the earth," the other in the "heavens," and that they are separated by 1000 years. The Greek word "ethnos" here translated "Nations" occurs 158 times in the New Testament. It is translated "Gentiles" 92 times, "Nation" or "Nations" 61 times, and "The Heathen" 5 times, but it is never in any instance (unless it be this) applied either to the "dead" or the "resurrected." As this is a Judgment of nations only, the Jews cannot be in it, for they are not reckoned among the nations. Num 23:9. And as the Church will be associated with Christ in this Judgment, for the "Saints" (the Church) shall judge the "World" (the Nations), (1Co 6:2) the Church cannot be in this Judgment either. As we have seen the Church and the Jews have been already judged, so the "Judgment of the Nations" cannot be a general Judgment. Who then, is asked, are meant by the Sheep ? Do they not represent the Righteous, and all the Righteous from the beginning of the world to the end of Time ? And do not the Goats in like manner represent all the Wicked? If the Sheep are the Righteous, and the Goats the Wicked, then who are the Brethren? If they are the "followers of Christ," as some claim, they should be classed with the Sheep. The Scriptures teach that the Righteous are saved by "faith," and the Wicked are lost because they "reject Christ," but in this Judgment scene the Sheep inherit a "Kingdom" and the Goats are commanded to "depart," because of their treatment of certain Brethren. All the confusion is caused by trying to make a Judgment of "nations" mean a Judgment of "individuals." The Sheep represent one class of Nations, and the Goats another class, while the Brethren represent the Jews (Christ's brethren). We must bear in mind the time and place of this Judgment. The time is at the "Revelation of Christ" when He comes to set up His "Millennial Kingdom" on the earth The place is the "Valley of Jehoshaphat" in the vicinity of Jerusalem. "For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather ALL NATIONS, and will bring them down into the 'Valley of Jehoshaphat,' and will plead with them there for MY PEOPLE and for my heritage ISRAEL, whom they have scattered among the Nations, and parted my land." Joe 3:1,2. This prophecy clearly states that there is to be a "Judgment of Nations" on the earth in the "Valley of Jehoshaphat" at the time of the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and that the basis of Judgment is the treatment by the nations of Christ's brethren – The Jews. During the "Tribulation Period" the Nations that treat the Jewish People kindly, feeding and clothing them, and visiting them in prison, will be the "Sheep Nations," while those who neglect to do so will be the "Goat Nations." At the "Judgment of Nations" the King (Christ) will say to the "Sheep Nations," inasmuch as ye have been kind to My brethren (the Jews), "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." This Kingdom is the "Millennial Kingdom" that the "Sheep Nations" as Nations will "inherit" and possess during the Millennium. And as they are to be among the "saved nations" of the New Earth (Rev 21:24) it can be said of them that they, or at least the righteous individuals of them, shall enter into life eternal. Mat 25:46. Christ's sentence upon the "Goat Nations" will be – "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels," and "these shall go away into everlasting punishment." The "Goat Nations" will at once be destroyed as Nations, not one of them shall get into the Millennium, and the wicked individuals that compose them will perish and be eternally lost. JUDGMENT NO. 5 1. Subjects – The WICKED DEAD. 2. Time – During the Renovation of the Earth by Fire. 3. Place – Before "The Great White Throne." 4. Basis of Judgment – Their "Works." 5. Result – Cast Into the "Lake of Fire." This Judgment is FUTURE. The account of it is given in Rev 20:11-15. It will take place at the close of the Millennium a 1000 years after the Judgment of the Nations, and before the "Great White Throne." The "Great White Throne" will not be on the earth, for the "Great White Throne Judgment" will take place during the renovation of the earth by fire, for the "renovation" of this Earth is reserved or kept until the time of that Judgment, which Peter calls "The Day of Judgment and Perdition of Ungodly Men" (2 Pe 3:7), because the Judgment of the "Great White Throne" . is the Judgment of the wicked dead. All the Righteous dead will arise at the First Resurrection. If any Righteous die between the First Resurrection and the Resurrection of the "wicked" or Second Resurrection, they will rise with the wicked dead at that Resurrection. The words?"Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life" (vs. 15), imply that there will be "some," probably very few, Righteous at the Second Resurrection. At the close of the Millennium and just before the renovation of the earth by fire, the living Righteous will probably be translated, and the living Wicked or Ungodly will be destroyed in the flames that will consume the earth's atmosphere and exterior surface. The Wicked or Ungodly will not be judged to see whether they are entitled to Eternal Life, but to ascertain the "degree" of their punishment. The sad feature of this Judgment will be that there will be many kind and lovable people there who were not saved, and who will be classed among the "ungodly" because they rejected Christ as a Saviour. The "Books" will be opened in which the "Recording Angel" has kept a record of every person's life, and they will be judged every man according to his "works." Some will be sentenced to a more severe punishment than others, but none will escape. The worst of all is, that those who were not so bad must spend eternity with the ungodly, and that in the "Lake of Fire." Their punishment includes the second death, which means that they shall lose their resurrection bodies, in which they were judged, and become "disembodied spirits" again, and so exist in the "Lake of Fire" FOREVER. The "Fallen Angels" (not the Devil's angels), who are "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness" will be judged at this time, which Jude calls the Judgment of the "Great Day." Jude 6. DEAR READER, what is your relation to the "Spirit World"? Are you yielding yourself to the power and control of "Evil Spirits," or are you allowing the "HOLY SPIRIT" to have full and complete possession of your life? On your choice depends your Eternal State. Your soul is of priceless value. For its salvation, and the redemption of your body, the Lord Jesus died upon the Cross. Without the acceptance of Him as your personal Saviour, you will be eternally lost Therefore, I beseech you, before you lay this book aside, that you commit yourself to Him who is able to save, so that at His coming to receive His own, you shall be among those who shall rise at the First Resurrection, or among those who shall then be alive and be caught up to meet Him in the air without dying. THE AUTHOR.