So if we are to have any coherent picture of the next age we must make allowance for the great diversity of spiritual strength in God's people, and that allowance is not to make everyone who makes a profession of belief in Christ a king and throw the rest of the population of the earth into the Lake of Fire. This is simplistic thinking. It does not satisfy the relevant passages of the Scriptures.

Therefore I see a Gideon's army governing the earth for one thousand years, working alongside Christ and growing to be more like Him.

I see this same company preparing the balance of the Church for her appearing as the Bride of the Lamb, the new Jerusalem. The concept of the stronger dressing the weaker for the wedding can be found in the eighth chapter of the Song of Solomon.

According to the Scriptures, no person other than the members of the royal priesthood, the overcomers, will be raised at the return of Jesus. The remainder of the elect, as well as the rest of mankind, must wait until the thousand years have been concluded. This fulfills the type of the partial reign of David over Judah prior to his rule over all Israel.

Now we come to the general resurrection from the dead, after the earth and sky have fled from the face of God.

We see a great white throne. On the throne are Jesus Christ and His brothers, as we know from other passages of Scriptures (Revelation 3:21, for example).

Before the judges stand every person born on the earth except those who were raised in the first resurrection and now are seated on the throne of judgment.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:12-15—NIV)

The families of Israel will be there. They will be judged by the Apostles, according to the word of the Lord Jesus.

The sheep and goat nations will be there, I believe. When Jesus says, "Inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My brothers," He is referring to His brothers who in that hour will be surrounding Him, His fellow judges.

The sea, death, and Hades gave up the dead in them. The sea probably refers to the great sea of mankind. The dead small and great are standing before God, not on the earth because the earth and the sky had fled from the face of God.

I believe, however, they are standing in resurrected bodies. I may be incorrect in this, but it is God's way to judge us in the body, to reward us in the body, and to punish us in the body.

To be continued.