![]() ![]() Christ will then raise from the dead all the unbelievers who have died throughout history, and they will stand before him for final judgment. Satan will gather these rebellious people for battle against Christ, but they will be decisively defeated. and will join forces with many unbelievers who have submitted outwardly to Christ’s reign but have inwardly been in seething rebellion against him. According to the premillennial viewpoint, at the end of the thousand years Satan will be loosed. When he comes back, believers who have died will be raised from the dead, their bodies will be reunited with their spirits, and these believers will reign with Christ on earth for one thousand years. He states:Īfter that time of tribulation at the end of the church age, Christ will return to earth to establish a millennial kingdom. He identifies his view as “classical premillennialism,” which is a posttribulational form of premillennialism (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994, 1114). The second theologian whom I characterize as an inconsistent premillennialist is Wayne Grudem. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, 630). Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, St. 12:11, since their evil works, or sins, have been cast into the depths of the sea, Micah 7:19, or forgiven” (J. But the righteous will be judged only according to their good works, Matt. Theodore Mueller, a Missouri Synod Lutheran, was also amillennial and taught that believers and unbelievers alike would stand at the same judgment, but he was able to relate his end-time views to the gospel with more success than either Berkhof or Erickson, in my opinion, when he wrote, ” The norm of judgment. His comment quoted by Erickson with approval is hardly something a believer in Christ would eagerly anticipate! J. Louis Berkhof, being an amillennialist, believed in a general resurrection and a general judgment. Louis Berkhof’s perspective on this matter is probably correct: ‘Scripture leads us to believe that will be, though they will, of course, be revealed as pardoned sins.'” [Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 732, in Erickson, Christian Theology, 1208-1209). But the statements concerning the review of sins are universal. Some have questioned whether the sins of believers will be includedthat would seem to be unnecessary inasmuch as believers have been justified. ![]() Every secret will be revealed all that has ever occurred will be evaluated. Paul warns that ‘we will all stand before God’s judgment seat’ (Rom. ![]() Under the general heading, “The Final Judgment,” Erickson describes ” The Subjects of the Judgment.” He states, ” All humans will be judged (Matt. And after examining further biblical data, Erickson concludes, “Accordingly, we judge the premillennial view to be more adequate than amillennialism” (Ibid., 1224). The premillennialist case appears stronger at this point” (Ibid., 1223). Their explanations that we have here two different types of resurrection or two spiritual resurrections strain the usual principles of hermeneutics. We have seen, on the other hand, that the reference to two resurrections (Rev 20) gives amillennialists difficulty. Later in the same chapter he says, ” We note here that there are no biblical passages with which premillennialism cannot cope, or which it cannot adequately explain. He states, ” Premillennialists observe that here is evidence of a thousand-year period and two resurrections, one at the beginning and the other at the end” (Christian Theology, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998, 2nd ed., 1216). Erickson identifies himself as a premillennialist. Two Inconsistent Premillennialists-Who are these inconsistent premillennialists who hold these contradicting views? Let me quote two of them. In this article I will demonstrate the inconsistency of affirming premillennialism, with its two distinct resurrections, while also affirming that there will be only one general judgment during which all humanity will stand and be judged. Premillennialism necessarily teaches two future resurrections-the resurrection of believers before the one thousand-year kingdom, and the resurrection of unbelievers following that kingdom. This article assumes that the premillennial view is correct. Nor is it my purpose to defend premillennialism, which is the belief that Christ will return to resurrect and glorify His saints and then set up a one thousand-year reign upon the earth. It is not my intention to discuss all of the judgments that I believe Scripture describes. February 2005 The Relationship of Resurrection to Judgment Myron J. ![]()
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