Common view is that only the wicked are judged at this time and that there is 1000 years seperating the judgement of the godly. Does scripture support this?
The resurrection
Scripture does not support a gap between the resurrection of the godly and ungody thus there is no gap between judgements as well.
Dan 12:1,2 -"and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that is found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt".
Matt 25:31,32 - "when the son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats".
John 6:44 - "no man can come to me, except the father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day".
John 12:48 - "he that rejecteth me, and received not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall be judged the last day".
Rev 11:15,18 - "and the seventh angel sounded ..and the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear his name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth".
The old heaven and earth
Rev 20:11 - "and I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth, and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them".
A common misinterpretation is to think that the words "there was no place for them" refers to verse 12 and to the dead. These words are describing the old heaven and earth! The millenium kingdom theory teaches that the appearance of the new heaven and earth occurs at the end of 1000 years. They support this elementary reasoning with the fact that the new heaven and earth are mentioned in chapter 21 after the 1000 years? This is not studying the word! So again if it can be proven that a new heaven and earth appears at Christs second coming then how can this also happen a 1000 years later as would have to the case in a belief of a millenium kingdom!
With the old heaven and earth being destroyed upon Christs return a new one must replace it. Is there a thousand years without an earth or heaven?
II Pt 3-10 - "but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up".
Luke 17:29,30 -"but the same day that lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the son of man is revealed".
We also read within the gospel account of the Second Coming where the heaven and earth shall pass away (Matt 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33). No mention of a thousand year period in between. Furthermore, in Revelation we read the account of heaven and earth passing away at the close of the sixth seal and hail fall from heaven in the seventh trumpet/vial plaque.
Rev 6:12-14 - "and I behold when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as figs tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places".
The first resurrection - the godly
Rev 20:12 - "and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the those things which were written in the books, according to their works".
Here we see the first resurrection, the dead believers. We see them standing before God; the unbelievers will not stand in the judgement.
Ps 1:5 -"therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous".
We see the reference to them as "small and great"; which were those who feared his name.
Rev 11:18 - " ..and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear his name, small and great, .."
We see the book of life present and opened as Jesus confesses the names written therein.
Rev 3:5 - "he that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess His name before my father, and before his angels".
We see them judged according to their works. Are we not judged according to our works, not for the inheritance to the kingdom, but for reward. I will use the same text theologians use for the supposed "judgement seat of Christ" judgment.
II Cor 5:10 - "for we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad".
The second resurrection - the ungodly
Rev 20:13 - "and the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works".
Here we see the second resurrection; the unbelievers. Being delivered up from the sea; the bottomless pit. Another interesting point to be made here is that how can death deliver up the dead? At first it does not make sense, however, when we examine the forth seal we see that "death" is the Antichrist thus making the understanding to the above scripture.
Rev 6:7,8 -"and when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him. And power was given unto themover the fourth part of the earth .."
The resurrection of the godly and ungodly do not occur 1000 years apart.
The old heaven and earth are destroyed at the coming of Christ not 1000 years later.
Both the godly and ungodly are judged at the Great White Throne.
In Christ, Mark.
The resurrection
Scripture does not support a gap between the resurrection of the godly and ungody thus there is no gap between judgements as well.
Dan 12:1,2 -"and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that is found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt".
Matt 25:31,32 - "when the son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats".
John 6:44 - "no man can come to me, except the father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day".
John 12:48 - "he that rejecteth me, and received not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall be judged the last day".
Rev 11:15,18 - "and the seventh angel sounded ..and the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear his name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth".
The old heaven and earth
Rev 20:11 - "and I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth, and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them".
A common misinterpretation is to think that the words "there was no place for them" refers to verse 12 and to the dead. These words are describing the old heaven and earth! The millenium kingdom theory teaches that the appearance of the new heaven and earth occurs at the end of 1000 years. They support this elementary reasoning with the fact that the new heaven and earth are mentioned in chapter 21 after the 1000 years? This is not studying the word! So again if it can be proven that a new heaven and earth appears at Christs second coming then how can this also happen a 1000 years later as would have to the case in a belief of a millenium kingdom!
With the old heaven and earth being destroyed upon Christs return a new one must replace it. Is there a thousand years without an earth or heaven?
II Pt 3-10 - "but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up".
Luke 17:29,30 -"but the same day that lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the son of man is revealed".
We also read within the gospel account of the Second Coming where the heaven and earth shall pass away (Matt 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33). No mention of a thousand year period in between. Furthermore, in Revelation we read the account of heaven and earth passing away at the close of the sixth seal and hail fall from heaven in the seventh trumpet/vial plaque.
Rev 6:12-14 - "and I behold when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as figs tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places".
The first resurrection - the godly
Rev 20:12 - "and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the those things which were written in the books, according to their works".
Here we see the first resurrection, the dead believers. We see them standing before God; the unbelievers will not stand in the judgement.
Ps 1:5 -"therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous".
We see the reference to them as "small and great"; which were those who feared his name.
Rev 11:18 - " ..and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear his name, small and great, .."
We see the book of life present and opened as Jesus confesses the names written therein.
Rev 3:5 - "he that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess His name before my father, and before his angels".
We see them judged according to their works. Are we not judged according to our works, not for the inheritance to the kingdom, but for reward. I will use the same text theologians use for the supposed "judgement seat of Christ" judgment.
II Cor 5:10 - "for we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad".
The second resurrection - the ungodly
Rev 20:13 - "and the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works".
Here we see the second resurrection; the unbelievers. Being delivered up from the sea; the bottomless pit. Another interesting point to be made here is that how can death deliver up the dead? At first it does not make sense, however, when we examine the forth seal we see that "death" is the Antichrist thus making the understanding to the above scripture.
Rev 6:7,8 -"and when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him. And power was given unto themover the fourth part of the earth .."
The resurrection of the godly and ungodly do not occur 1000 years apart.
The old heaven and earth are destroyed at the coming of Christ not 1000 years later.
Both the godly and ungodly are judged at the Great White Throne.
In Christ, Mark.
Can't argue with the Bible where God has laid out so clearly exactly what is going to happen at our Lord's return, can we.
