(Excerpt taken from
Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)
Revelation VERSE 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon
them, and judgment was given unto them: 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
worshiped 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. 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until
the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The Exaltation of
the Saints. - From the devil in his gloomy confinement, John now directs our
attention to the saints in victory and glory, - the saints reigning with Christ
- their employment being to assign to the wicked dead the punishment due their evil
deeds. From that general assembly John then selects two classes as worthy of
especial attention: first, the martyrs, those who had been beheaded for
the witness of Jesus; and secondly, those who had not worshiped the beast and
his image. This class, the ones who refuse the mark of the beast and his image,
are of course the ones who hear and obey the third message of Revelation 14;
but these are not the ones who are beheaded for the witness of Jesus, as some
who
p 738 -- claim that
the last generation of saints are all to be slain, would have us believe. The
word rendered which, in the expression, "and which had not worshiped the
beast," etc., shows that there is another class introduced. The word is the
compound relative, ostiV (hostis), not merely the simple relative oV, and is
defined by Liddell and Scott, "Whosoever; whichsoever; any one who;
anything which;" and by Robinson, "One who; some one who; whosoever;
whatsoever." As one class, John saw the martyrs, and as another, he saw
those who had not worshiped the beast and his image.
It is true that
ostiV is sometimes used as a simple relative, as in 2 Cor. 3:14; Eph. 1:23, but
never in such constructions as this, preceded by the conjunction kai.
Lest any one should
say that if we render the passage "and whosoever had not worshiped the
beast," we thereby include millions of heathen and sinners who have not
worshiped the beast, and promise them a reign with Christ of a thousand years,
we would call attention to the fact that the preceding chapter states that the
wicked had all been slain, and the seal of death had been set upon them for a
thousand years; and John is viewing only the righteous company who have part in
the first resurrection.
To avoid the
doctrine of two resurrections, some claim that the passage, "But the rest
of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished," is an
interpolation, not found in the original, and hence not genuine. Even if this
were so, it would not disprove the main proposition that the righteous dead are
raised by themselves, in a "first resurrection," and that there is a
second resurrection a thousand years later, in which all the wicked are brought
from their graves. But the criticism is not true. All scholarship is against
it. The Revised Version retains the passage.
Two Resurrections. -
"The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished." Whatever may be said to the contrary, no language could more
plainly prove two resurrections; the first, a resurrection of the righteous at
the commencement of the thousand years; and the second, that of the wicked at
the end of that period. On such as have part in
p 739 -- the first
resurrection, the second death will have no power. They can pass unharmed
through the elements which destroy the wicked like chaff. They will be able to
dwell with devouring fire and everlasting burnings (Isa. 33:14, 15); they will
be able to go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who have
transgressed against the Lord, as the quenchless fire and undying worm are
preying upon them. Isa. 66:24. The difference between the righteous and the
wicked in this respect is seen again in the fact that while God is to the
latter a consuming fire, he is to his people both a sun and a shield.
The Wicked Raised to
Life.. - The wicked who are raised at the end of the thousand years as really
live again as they have once lived on the earth. To deny this is to do violence
to this scripture. In what physical condition they will be raised, we are not
informed. It is usual to say on this point that what we have lost
unconditionally in Adam, is restored unconditionally in Christ. With respect to
physical condition, this should not perhaps be taken in an unlimited sense; for
we have lost greatly in stature and vital force, which need not be restored to
the wicked. If they are brought back to the average mental and physical
condition which they enjoyed during life, or the period of their probation,
that would certainly be sufficient to enable them to receive at last
understandingly the reward due them for all their deeds.
*******
Truth!
We cannot deny this
is truth!
I amend that, we can
deny it and to deny it is death.
Hellfire and
brimstone, this is what I'm preaching - so to speak, and it's truth! Hellfire
and brimstone isn't preached enough anymore.
Death awaits the
unrepentant wicked. Eternal death.
The world would have
us believe that when we die we automatically enter a new way of living. The
world soothes us with this lie so we don't worry about repenting of our sins
and surrendering our lives to Christ, the only One who can give us life after
death upon His return to earth.
You say you have
given your life to Christ, that He will save you even if you believe the lies
told? You say your heart is in the right place and Jesus knows this? I tell you that Jesus abhors lying and those
who believe lies after they've been told the truth and given an opportunity to
know truth.
Joh_8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the
lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a
lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Psa_32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD
imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
…4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for
they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb
wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to
God and to the Lamb. 5And no lie was found in their mouth; they are
blameless.
Cross References
Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against
them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful
tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one
will make them afraid."
True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on
his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here
truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from
acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or
defect.
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his
mouth."
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you
before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--
Treasury of Scripture
NO LYING! NO DECEIT!
We cannot tell our Savior that we are innocent because we loved the lies we
cherish. We cannot tell our Savior that we are His followers when we choose to
follow lies that come from the father of lies.
The end is coming,
and either we will be with the saints in heaven with Christ for a 1000 years,
or we will be dead upon the earth left to rot, not off in some spirit form
living. We will be dead only to be raised at the end of the 1000 years to face
our punishment that will lead to our eternal, everlasting destruction. One place or the other, these are our only
two options!
Yes, hellfire and
damnation awaits, but most assuredly, heaven awaits as well! We must believe
the truth and NOTHING but the truth!
Please,
Father….please.
In the name of our
Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, now and forever, amen!
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