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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Requirements and Purposes of the Two Resurrections, #2
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 those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:12-15)
The Second Resurrection
At the second resurrection the dead will be judged out of the books in which the deeds of people are recorded. Then the Book of Life will be examined to see if the individual's name is there. If the person's name is found in the Book of Life he will be permitted to enter the Kingdom of God and to eat of the tree of life. If his name is not found written in the Book of Life he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
The participants in the second resurrection can be divided into two groups: those who have heard the Gospel of Christ and those who have not heard the Gospel of Christ.
Those who have heard the Gospel of Christ will be judged on the basis of whether or not they have received the Gospel and also on their subsequent manner of life as a Christian believer.
Those who have not heard the Gospel of Christ will be judged on the basis of their works alone.
The current teaching that Christian people will not be judged according to their works is in error. The Scriptures teach clearly that every person will be judged according to his works and will receive the good or the evil he has done (II Corinthians 5:10).
The current teaching that those who never have heard the Gospel of Christ will be condemned because they have not received Jesus, is abominable. Will God assign to eternal torment an individual, a child perhaps, or a baby who never has heard the Gospel, on the basis that he or she has not accepted the atonement made by the Lord Jesus?
Such a concept is not at all in keeping with the ways of the God of Heaven or with any reasonable standard of equity. God always is reasonable. It is religious people who draw unreasonable, false, abominable conclusions from their theological beliefs.
The basis for assignment either to eternal life or to the Lake of Fire is our works, whether we have done good or done evil (John 5:29). Righteous works bring the person to eternal life. Works of wickedness bring the person to condemnation.
In our zeal for advancing the concept of Divine grace we have wiped out the New Testament stress on righteous behavior. The result of our error has been the destruction of the Church of Christ. The people do not live righteously today because they have been taught that God is concerned only with our "making a decision for" His Son, not with how we behave.
Could there be a more deadly error than this—one more opposed to all Christ represents? Could any device of Satan be more effective in blotting out the testimony of the churches?
To be continued.