Why Future Events?-Part 11
| By: Dr. Renald Showers; ©2000 |
| What types of people will be citizens of the future Theocratic kingdom Jesus will set up? What about the Old Testament saints? Dr. Showers explains what the Bible teaches. |
WHY FUTURE EVENTS? PART 11
Our previous article focused on the purpose, time and length of the future theocratic kingdom of God that will be established on this present earth after the Tribulation and Second Coming of Christ. This present article will look at a fourth aspect of that kingdom. Who will be living on this earth during the future theocratic kingdom?
The Citizens Of The Future Theocratic Kingdom
The Bible reveals several significant things concerning the citizens of the future theocratic kingdom. First, no unsaved people (the human members of Satan’s kingdom) will be allowed to enter the kingdom at its beginning. All the unsaved who are alive at Christ’s Second Coming will be taken from the earth in judgment. As noted in an earlier article, Christ clearly taught this in His parables of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) and the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50) and in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:37-41; 25:31-46). Thus, only saved people will be allowed to enter the theocratic kingdom at its beginning.
Second, all the saved people of all previous ages of history will enter the theocratic kingdom with Christ. They will consist of four groups. The Church saints (those saved from the Day of Pentecost of Acts 2 [when the Church was born] until the Rapture of the Church) will comprise one group. Because they will have been raptured to Heaven before the Tribulation, they will return with Christ to the earth at His Second Coming after the Tribulation. Thus, they will be on the earth with Him for the theocratic kingdom. Two things indicate that this is where they will be. First, after the Apostle Paul referred to the Church saints being raptured from the earth to meet Christ in the air, he said, “and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This indicates that, once the Church saints have been raptured, they will go wherever Christ goes. Second, Paul also taught that Church saints will reign with Christ in the future (2 Timothy 2:12). As a result of the transformation of their bodies at the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), the Church saints will have glorified, immortal bodies in the theocratic kingdom.
Old Testament saints (those who became saved and died before the Church began on Pentecost and who, therefore, are not part of the Church) will be a second group of saints in the theocratic kingdom. They will be resurrected in conjunction with Christ’s Second Coming after the Tribulation and, therefore, will have glorified, immortal bodies in the kingdom. Daniel 12:1-2 refers to people being resurrected to everlasting life after the unparalleled time of trouble (the Great Tribulation—see Christ’s reference to that unparalleled time of trouble in Matthew 24:21). In addition, a statement made to Daniel in Daniel 12:13 seems to indicate that he, as an Old Testament saint, will be resurrected at that time. Daniel was told “you shall rest, and stand in your lot at the end of the days.” The expression “you shall rest” was a reference to the fact that he would die.[1] The expression “you shall . . . stand in your lot” was a promise of resurrection after death.[2] Daniel was told that his resurrection will take place “at the end of the days.” In the context of Daniel 12, it appears that this indicated that Daniel’s resurrection will take place once the days of the unparalleled time of trouble (the Great Tribulation) have ended.[3]
A third group in the theocratic kingdom will consist of resurrected Tribulation saints.
Revelation 7 reveals that large numbers of people will become saved during the Tribulation Period. Revelation 6:9-11 and 20:4 indicate that many of the Tribulation saints will be martyred for their faith during the Tribulation. The Apostle John recorded the fact that martyred Tribulation saints will be resurrected from the dead in conjunction with the Second Coming of Christ after the Tribulation and then will reign with Him for one thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6). Because of their resurrection, these Tribulation saints will have glorified, immortal bodies in the theocratic kingdom.
A fourth group of saints in the theocratic kingdom will be comprised of people who will become saved during the Tribulation Period and survive the Tribulation alive. Because they will have escaped death, they will enter the kingdom with mortal bodies and, therefore, will be able to marry and give birth to children and will still have their sin natures. These are “the sheep” of Matthew 25:31-34 and those that are “left” in the field and at the mill at Christ’s Second Coming (Matthew 24:39-41). Because this fourth group of saints will enter the theocratic kingdom with mortal bodies and sin natures, they will be different from the other three groups of saints. The other groups will enter the kingdom with glorified, immortal bodies and, therefore, will not marry (Mark 12:25) or give birth to children and will be sinlessly perfect (without sin natures—1 John 3:2).
The third significant thing concerning the citizens of the future theocratic kingdom is this: Unsaved children will be born into the kingdom after its beginning. As noted earlier, Tribulation saints who have not died will enter the kingdom with mortal bodies and, therefore, will be able to marry and give birth to children during the kingdom. The Prophet Jeremiah foretold the birth of Jewish children during the kingdom (Jeremiah 30:19-20), and the Prophet Ezekiel foretold the birth of Gentile children during the kingdom (Ezekiel 47:22). Because the Tribulation saints who will enter the kingdom with mortal bodies will still have sin natures, they will give birth to unsaved children, just as Christians today give birth to unsaved children. Thus, although only saved people will be on the earth at the beginning of the kingdom, after a while, through birth, unsaved people will be present. The fact that a huge multitude of people will flock to Satan to take part in his attempt to overthrow Christ’s theocratic kingdom rule, when he is released from the bottomless pit after the Millennium (Revelation 20:7-9), indicates that many of those born during the kingdom will not become saved during that time.
The next article will focus on the nature of the future theocratic kingdom.
For a study of the different millennial views that have been advocated during the history of the Church, including how and when they began and what they teach, order my book, There Really Is A Difference! (The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, P.O. Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099; Telephone – 1-800-257-7843 or 856-853-5590)
