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January 1, 2019 |
| Salvation In The Millennium | ||
Some very important changes occur with the Second Coming. Prophecies are fulfilled; society is restructured; the resurrected are living in Jerusalem. Some things don't change - there are still people with carnal natures. With them comes the question of how salvation would work during that time.
Other authors have failed to grasp the enormity of these changes and their consequences. As such they believe that salvation will work the same then as it does now. One of these authors will be cited.
In this lesson we will see why salvation cannot be the same as it is now and obtain a glimpse into how it must be.
H. D. Williams, in his document Salvation in the Millennium1, begins by defining how salvation has worked through all time. He ties that to Jesus death on the cross and then sets that as the focal point for salvation, i.e. salvation comes from faith in that death. He sees that in the present time salvation comes from faith in that past sacrifice. Therefore he expects that salvation in the Millennium will also come from faith in that past sacrifice.
His first critical mistake comes very early. He correctly says that salvation comes "by faith in God and His Words." In the next sentence however he begins to twist that with "it is provided as a result of the one and only suitable sacrifice for sin." Soon salvation becomes faith in that sacrifice. With this as his focus for salvation, he deals with the people prior to that sacrifice by saying their salvation came by faith in that event … even though they didn't know of the event.
Immediately after the original sin God's only recorded words about a future event were "He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." This is a promise directly to the snake that the snake will pay for what he had done. Implicit perhaps is the idea that creation would be restored. They had no concept at that time of a substitutionary sacrifice for sin and wouldn't for more than 2000 years.
Williams doesn't go into his reasons for this twist but it isn't hard to figure out. The standard church teaching is that believers go to Heaven immediately upon death. This requires that salvation be an event that occurs at death and that this has been true since Jesus' death. Therefore Jesus' death becomes the focus of salvation.
Nowhere in the Bible, however, is it said that believers go to Heaven when they die. That teaching makes the Second Coming effectively pointless and contradicts the resurrection. It also leads to a poor understanding of other things.
The correct understanding of salvation comes from the question, "what are we saved from?". We are saved from the Great White Throne Judgment which results in those not listed in the Book of Life being thrown into the Lake of Fire. Therefore that is the focus of salvation.
There are two requirements for salvation:
Viewed this way, Jesus' death becomes the fulfillment of a requirement for salvation, instead of the focus of it. Therefore the people prior to Jesus' time only need to have faith in those things God had revealed to them in their time. It isn't necessary for them to believe in things that hadn't been revealed to them.
These are the changes that indicate the process of salvation will change after the Second Coming:
Ezekiel spends 9 chapters describing a temple that will be built in Jerusalem. Other prophets add pieces to that description. The part that matters to us here is that it contains an altar for the sacrifice of sin offerings and there are priests from the tribe of Levi.
And He said to me, "Son of man, thus says the Lord God, 'These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is built, to offer burnt offerings on it and to sprinkle blood on it. 19 You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok, who draw near to Me to minister to Me,' declares the Lord God, 'a young bull for a sin offering. 20 You shall take some of its blood and put it on its four horns and on the four corners of the ledge and on the border round about; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. 21 You shall also take the bull for the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place of the house, outside the sanctuary.'" (Ezekiel 43:18-21)
This strongly indicates that sacrifices for sin have begun again.
With a temple in existence and sacrifices being made, it's important to review the purpose of the sacrifices for sin in the previous temple. We should already know they could not atone for sin. So why were they done?
Above, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings and burnt peace offerings for sins you did not want"; those that were offered were by the Law (Torah). (Hebrews 10:8)
The sacrifices were offered because they were commanded by the law. God had said that he would forgive their sins if they offered the sacrifices. The sacrifices, then, were proof of obedience to God, which comes from faith (or should). The atonement that would take away sins would come in the future at the cross.
The sacrifices were also offered as a message about things in Heaven and as an indication that the true atonement was yet to come.
Those who serve the form and the shadow of these things that are in Heaven, as it was said to Moses when he made the tabernacle, "See and do everything by the image that appeared to you on the mountain." (Hebrews 8:5)
The sacrifices for sin in Ezekiel's temple would be expected to serve the same functions.
We've specified the requirement for faith as "faith in God and his words" but we need more detail in order to understand how faith will have changed in the Millennium. We get that detail from the "faith" chapter in Hebrews.
Now faith is the conviction concerning those things that are in hope, as if it were these things in action, and the revelation of those things that are unseen (Hebrews 11:1)
But without faith, no one can please God, for whoever is brought near to God must believe that he exists and that he is the rewarder of those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
From these we see that faith requires the conviction that what is unseen will be seen. The problem is that God's existence will be established fact during the Millennium. Ezekiel speaks about Jerusalem during the Millennium and about the indisputable fact of God's existence.
the name of the city from that day shall be, "The Lord is there." (Ezekiel 48:35)
Jesus will be ruling the world from Jerusalem. If anyone dares to ask, "Is there a God", the answer will be "Yes, he is in the temple in Jerusalem." The time for seeking him is past and those who did seek him have been rewarded.
Therefore the faith that we now have will not be possible in the future. Ir isn't possible to believe he exists when you know he exists. To "believe" implies a lack of certainty. With faith being a requirement for salvation, salvation as we know it will not be possible.
Could the sacrifices for sin in Ezekiel's temple be an act of obedience that demonstrates trust in God, essentially the faith to replace the faith in God's word that is no longer possible?
In Revelation Jesus speaks of the Second Coming.
Behold, I come at once, and my reward is with me, and I shall give to every person according to his work. (Revelation 22:12)
This tells us that Jesus rewards his followers at the time of his return, which comes just before the Millennium begins. At that time the work has been done, the work is rewarded and the rest begins.
While not directly related to salvation, that system of working in the fields for a future reward is now closed. This does show that the time for the rewards will have passed before the Millennium. The BIble makes no mention of a later reward or time for that reward. Also remember that the Millennium is a Sabbath rest of sorts and therefore a time when work cannot be done.
The spring and fall feasts of the Old Testament picture God's plan for salvation, as a pageant played out each year. The spring feasts pictured his sacrifice, his sinlessness, his time in the grave, his resurrection, and the giving of the Holy Spirit as the law in the heart. Then began the time of working in the fields. After that came the fall feasts which picture the Second Coming and resurrection, the last 10 days for repentance, the day when Jesus' sacrifice is applied as atonement, and the day when God is joined with his people.
The part of these feasts that applies to our topic is the Day of Atonement. That day, the holiest day of God's calendar, passes before the millennium begins. Can Jesus' sacrifice atone for sin after that time? That wouldn't appear to make any sense.
The Book of Revelation, in the letters to the churches, speaks of the Millennium, when Jesus will rule the nations of the world.
"To him who is victorious and keeps my works, I shall give authority over the nations, 27 to Shepherd them with a rod of iron, and like the vessels of a potter you shall shatter them, for in the same manner I have also received of my Father." (Revelation 2:26-27)
The "rod of iron" speaks of quick, unyielding correction. The idea of shattered clay pots backs that up. A shepherd of Jesus' time had two main tools, a rod and a staff. The rod was used to deal with problem sheep in the herd and attackers of the herd.
This passage clearly indicates that the basis of salvation will be entirely different from the current time, when sin goes on uncorrected for as long as a lifetime. In that time it will be immediately necessary to repent and atone for sins that are done.
"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31:33-34)
"But this is the covenant that I shall give to the family of the house of Israel: After those days, says the lord Yahweh, I shall put my law in their minds and upon their hearts I shall write it, and I shall be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. 11 And a man will not teach a citizen of his city, neither his brother, and say, 'Know the lord Yahweh', because they shall all know me, from their little ones and unto their Elders. 12 And I shall purge them of their evils, and I shall not remember their sins again." (Hebrews 8:10-11)
Generally the church currently believes that this prophecy has been completely fulfilled. That isn't correct though. God's people have far too many differences to claim that they all know God completely. Also, these verses speak of both neighbors and citizens knowing God, not just brothers. That is plainly not true at the present time. Therefore we have only seen a partial fulfillment of that prophecy via Pentecost.
More closely related to our topic, Salvation in the Millennium, this prophecy says God will purge all the living of their evils. That makes it clear that some form of salvation is in effect. This purging goes hand-in-hand with the Rod of Iron above.
Zechariah also speaks of this time and mentions that God will no longer speak to his people through prophets. This means God's word will be known to every man and there is no need for a prophet.
"It will come about in that day," declares the Lord of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 3 And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, 'You shall not live, for you have spoken falsely in the name of the Lord'; and his father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce him through when he prophesies. (Zechariah 13:2-3)
We've seen that salvation comes by both faith and atonement. We've also seen that faith will not be possible during the Millennium and that the time for application of Jesus' atoning sacrifice has passed by then. The time of rewards for work will also have passed by then. Certainly the previous mode of salvation is no longer possible.
We've also seen other things that indicate salvation will be different than it has been. There will be a new temple with sacrifices. Most Christians are shocked by that idea. We've also seen that the world will be ruled by an iron rod, indicating immediate punishment for sin.
We also saw the statement that every man will know God. This doesn't only mean that they will know God exists. It means they will know the will of God.
From all of this it's easy to see that salvation during the Millennium will not be the same as it has been. It's much less clear how it will work.
1 http://www.theoldpathspublications.com/PDFs/Salvation%20in%20the%20Millennium.pdf
2 same as the above