Introduction

One of the things I really enjoy doing with the ministry the Lord has blessed me with is answering questions of believers and unbelievers alike. The questions people have never cease to amaze me; most I have never even considered myself.

This QFTBOC (Questions from the Body of Christ) series are articles from these questions I have received and will be in a question and response format.

If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you.

If I end up using your question, and you would like to have your name and/or place of residence listed on the question in the article, please specify with your submitted question; otherwise, if I use your question, it will be listed as “Anonymous.”

Regardless, I will make every attempt to answer every person’s question(s) in a response to the emails I receive. Depending on volume, it may be a little while until you hear back from me, but my intention is to respond to all inquiries.

Other articles in this series are: QFTBOC: Civil Disobedience and Patriotism, QFTBOC: Memory – Fully Retained or Total Reset?, QFTBOC: Psalm 91, Protection, & God’s Will, QFTBOC: God’s Chastisement of His Children, QFTBOC: What’s Satan’s Problem?, QFTBOC: Can We Know Another’s Salvation?, QFTBOC: Childbirth Purification & Christ, QFTBOC: Biblical Slavery, QFTBOC: Peter & John at the Palace of the High Priest, QFTBOC: Living for Christ in a Dark World, and QFTBOC: Family and the Afterlife.

Question

(Question representative of others)

Hello Mark,

First, I want to say Thank You for writing the QFTBOC series, a great idea.

Secondly, I would like to have your thoughts on the following:

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” (Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV).

That passage has confused many of us, and I sure couldn’t provide a worthwhile explanation. It certainly comes across as works-based salvation rather than salvation by faith by grace. I’m sure I’m not the only one who could not offer a satisfactory explanation of what the Lord Jesus was saying or to whom.

If you select this passage for study and commentary, I request that my name not be used.

With gratitude,

Anonymous

Response

Thanks for your kind words! I’m so thankful that the Lord has used this ongoing series to bless His people.

Let’s review that passage of Scripture:

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)).

So, the first thing we need to note in this passage of Scripture is that it has to be defined in the context of a judgment. Which judgment does this passage of Scripture fit? Why do we see professing “believers” pleading their cause before Christ? Using these key elements, cited in this passage, is crucial in determining what judgment the Lord is referring to.

We know for a fact that this can’t be the Bema Seat of Christ, as all who are judged there for rewards or loss of rewards are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ – the church, both dead and alive – and had just been resurrected at the rapture of the church.

The description hardly describes the judgment at the separation of the sheep from the goats after Christ’s Second Coming. That judgment has other criteria for those who will be allowed into the Millennial Kingdom of Christ – namely how they treated Christ’s brethren, the Jews and the church – and there’s no hint at all that anyone will object to their judgment from the King. (Please see The Mystery of the Last Sheep for more information on this particular judgment).

Here’s what I had to say in The Mystery of the Last Sheep regarding the criteria for this judgment:

Who are these brothers of our Lord? Obviously, His people Israel. But people from the Gentile nations, who also come to Christ during the Tribulation, are His brothers as well:

“For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35).

These individuals He will set on His right hand and are referred to as “sheep.”

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

And, of course, those who reject Christ – or are false converts – will be set on His left hand and are referred to as “goats.” Those who mistreat Israel and Gentile believers have, by their actions, rejected Christ. Professing “Christians” today, who hate Israel and the Jews, are just as much false converts – deceiving themselves – as those who survive the Tribulation and are separated as the “goats.”

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21).

“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy” (James 2:13a).

We also have to remember that there will be very few men and women left, after the horrors of the Tribulation, to be judged:

“The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left“ (Isaiah 24:4-6). (emphasis mine)

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22). (emphasis mine)

Christ said, in regard to the judgment we are looking at, that, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”

Being as there won’t be many people left at the judgment of the separation of the sheep and the goats – and keeping in mind the other elements we have been looking at – this judgment can’t be what Christ was referring to.

Therefore, the only judgment that this could be applied to is at the Great White Throne judgment of the unsaved (Revelation 20:11-15).

As these people are false converts, professing themselves to be believers in Messiah Yeshua and that they have actually “worked” for Him, they have deceived themselves into believing they were saved when, in fact, they were apostate heretics.

We see these people today in most of Christendom, unfortunately, and they are even mentioned in most of the epistles of the New Testament, commonly as false teachers and false prophets (2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Peter 2:1-3, 2 Corinthians 11:13, 1 John 4:1, Jude 4, et al.). Of course, all false converts – whether teachers, “prophets,” or laity – are included in Christ’s words.

Hence, we have had false converts within the church for 2,000 years, so we can be assured that there will be many making these same petitions to our Lord during the White Throne Judgment. I think it reasonable to expect this to be a common occurrence during the Great White Throne Judgment.

Because they are unsaved, they don’t have the covering of the blood of Jesus and must be judged 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“ (Revelation 20:13). (emphasis mine)

The term “kingdom of heaven” is often synonymous with the phrase “kingdom of God,” depending on context, and both can apply to either the Millennial Kingdom of Christ or the Eternal Kingdom of Revelation 21 and 22. In this context, the “kingdom of heaven” must apply to the Eternal Kingdom, as the unsaved lost are judged just prior to the Eternal Kingdom.

Something else we should keep in mind is that even though the body of Christ isn’t saved by works, we will be rewarded based upon our works for the Lord. Of course, works don’t save the believer, but it is the works we do for our Lord because of our salvation and our love for Him that result in those rewards.

As I mentioned earlier, an article the reader may be interested in that covers the Second Coming judgment of the sheep and the goats through the Eternal Kingdom and may help align these judgments a little more clearly, is The Mystery of the Last Sheep. It is one of my more exhaustive studies and, as such, may take a little time to get through as there’s a lot to it. I pray it helps.

Faith Without Works

I don’t see anywhere in Scripture where people in the Tribulation, or anywhere else, are saved by their works.

Where people tend to get confused is the fact that our works display our salvation. For instance, at the separation of the sheep and the goats, everyone there seems to be professing “believers” (or else they would just plead “guilty”), but just like today, there will be many false converts. Their false conversions will be revealed by how they treated the brothers and sisters of our Lord – Tribulation Saints, Jew and Gentile – and that treatment shows to them, and everyone else, whether they were truly saved or not.

It’s the same with us today. If someone professes themselves to be “Christian” and hates the Jewish people and Israel, aren’t they showing themselves to be false converts? They sure are! If they accept homosexuality and sexual perversion, at the rejection of God’s clearly revealed Word, aren’t they showing themselves false converts? They sure are! This is why we read such passages as:

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). (emphasis mine)

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall“ (2 Peter 1:5-10). (emphasis mine)

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:14-20). (emphasis mine)

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:21-26).

So, we shouldn’t be surprised when the Scriptures equate judgment and works, even for the believer who is saved by grace through faith. For it is our works that manifest our inward rebirth in Messiah Jesus.

You see, we aren’t saved by works, but works show us, and others, that we are saved. We do good works because He saved us, not because by our works we are saved. Our good works on behalf of Christ Who saved us are clear evidence that we are saved; and it will be just the same for those who come to Christ during the Tribulation.

Thank you for this important question, and I pray that my response has satisfied the reader’s understanding of this significant issue.

May the Lord richly bless you all as you all continue to bless others through Him and for Him. Keep sharing the gospel with the lost for Christ, as the sands of time seem to be running low.

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

➢ Email: mab10666@yahoo.com

➢ If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ and are seeking answers about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and salvation, please email me at mab10666@yahoo.com for information.

➢ I am still taking questions for the Questions from the Body of Christ series. If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you.

➢ A listing of past articles may be found at my Article Listings on Rapture Ready or my Home Page on FaithWriters.

 

The DAY OF THE LORD is “The Day of Jehovah,” and its usage is always associated with something dire, with judgment, and with events outside the implementation of man. In other words, it is the intervention of God with the power of God in the affairs of this world. It has a primary application to Israel, but that is always extended often to a wider field, and that involves the world.

The term covers the chronology of events after the Rapture right up to the new heavens and the new earth, which is the culmination of all human history before the eternal state. It is the time when God openly and dramatically intervenes in the undertakings of this earth in awesome power and wrath. Therefore, the DAY of the LORD covers the Tribulation — the judgments and the way humans will react to it. In particular, the greatest concentration of prophecies and the usage of this term relate to the Second Coming of the Lord – His glorious appearing, the Second Coming, which is for Armageddon and His Return to His earthly people, the Jews. It often deals with signs and people’s emotions and cosmic happenings. It is very much connected with Israel and her dealings with God and the nations.

There are so many references to the time period known as “The Day of the LORD,” and many of them don’t mention the whole term, but we know that is what is being referred to as it parallels other passages. The list is exhaustive and too big to include all texts, but I want to list most of the major mentions for the OT and NT references for the DAY of the LORD, and special points are underlined.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES TO THE DAY OF THE LORD FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

We have been looking at 14 of the main passages from the Old Testament to learn about this special term. Now we will look at more scriptures. These references are not necessarily using the term “the Day of the LORD,” but we know through all combined passages that their settings are squarely in the Day of the LORD. This list will not be exhaustive, for there are so many we could include. Often the term “In that day“ or “At that time” or “In the day“ is close to the term “the Day of the LORD,” and most certainly, all these passages to come are contained in that framework from the start of the Tribulation to the setting up of the Millennial Kingdom and even through to the New heavens and earth. I will give the scriptures with some comment.

[1]. Isaiah 2: ¹⁷ “The pride of man will be humbled and the loftiness of men will be abased, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day [the Day of His Second Coming]. ¹⁸ The idols will completely vanish. ¹⁹ Men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD and before the splendour of His majesty, when He arises to make the earth tremble. ²⁰ In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold which they made for themselves to worship, ²¹ in order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs before the terror of the LORD and the splendour of His majesty, when He arises to make the earth tremble.”

The start of this passage says the Lord will be exalted in that day because the loftiness of man will be abased. The disciples on Olivet asked the Lord when will be the end of the age. There are two ages that will have an end. Both are still future. The first is the Church age, and that ends at the Rapture. The second is the one they asked the Lord about, “the end of the age, and His Coming.” That age ends at the Second Coming when the age of man’s rule and power and government will end forever, and the Lord is in control from that point onwards. The Isaiah passage demonstrates the universality of the Lord’s wrath. Not one will escape.

Verses 18 to 21 will have their direct fulfillment in Revelation chapter 6. The Lord’s majesty is on display in His wrath, and man will not be able to face it. They cast away all their vain things and seek any geographic feature in which to hide. The splendor of His majesty will cause such fear in people.

Here are the verses –

Revelation 6: ¹² “I looked when He broke the sixth seal and there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood, ¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. ¹⁴ The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. ¹⁵ The kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; ¹⁶ and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.'”

The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That is correct, when in this life before the Rapture, men reverence the Lord in the proper understanding of fear and turn to be saved. BUT the fear after the Rapture will be dreadful when people will quake and be alarmed, and their spirits will melt. Even then, they could turn to God, but they won’t. In fact, this is what they will do in the Tribulation period – Revelation 16:9-11 “and men were scorched with fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues and they did not repent, so as to give Him glory. The fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast and his kingdom became darkened, and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.”

I suppose one could say, “These are apocalyptic events,” but I am just amazed at how many movies and books have been produced focusing on events like these. Aliens and creatures from space is a favorite one, objects falling from the sky, great disasters from meteors, earthquakes and volcanoes and all sorts of imaginations movie producers like; demonic creatures, giant bugs, supernatural beings, giant climatic events, etc. etc. They number hundreds, if not thousands. A number of them also contain the word “apocalypse” and similar dire names.

It is like the world is being made aware that some calamitous events and times lie ahead. I guess this is quite true, but will people take any notice while they have the opportunity to do so? It is like the world is preparing itself for the times that lie ahead, but who is doing that preparing? I somehow don’t think God is doing this. I will leave it at that.))

[2]. Isaiah 10: ²⁰ “Now it will come about in that day that the remnant of Israel and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. ²¹ A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God, ²² for though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. ²³ A complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.

((This is an amazing passage all hinging on “in that day,” which is part of the Day of the LORD, but the part that deals with Israel’s restoration and the beginning of the Millennium. The remnant of Israel in verse 20 will be the Jewish Tribulation saints from Revelation 12, preserved during the wrath in the Day of the LORD, and ones from around the world who will be brought home after the Lord is settled in Jerusalem. The nation always made alliances with pagan nations, but once the Lord takes up their cause, they will forever rely on Jehovah. That will be fantastic.

Verse 22 is a verse that has a bit of a problem. If you have are thoughts, I’d love to hear them. Verse 22 says the numbers of Jews are like the sand of the sea but only a remnant will return. Then we look at Zechariah and see that that suggests a third will be saved – Zechariah 13:7-9 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man, My Associate,’ declares the LORD of hosts. ‘Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones, and it will come about in all the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘that two parts in it will be cut off and perish, but the third will be left in it, and I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'”

This Isaiah passage deals with Israel’s restoration and the destruction of unrighteousness in Israel at the Second Coming when the Lord establishes righteousness. What is evil and unclean will be destruction that righteousness will overflow.))

[3]. Isaiah 14: ¹ “When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob…. ³ It will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, ⁴ that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon and say, ‘How the oppressor has ceased, and how fury has ceased!’…. ⁷ The whole earth is at rest and is quiet. They break forth into shouts of joy.”

((The Day of the LORD embraces Israel’s restoration and settlement forever in the land when Messiah returns. All existing enemies are defeated at Armageddon (the whole world because every nation sends armies to Armageddon.) The Lord shows compassion and settles them where they belong. However, I am not sure who the strangers are, said to attach themselves to the house of Jacob. I think it is safe to say they are not Jews. I cannot say any more about it.

The timing of this passage is clearly stated, which is when the Lord settles them in their own land. That will be right after the Second Coming at the start of the Millennium. There are some who might say that applied to the return from the Babylonian captivity, and in a tiny way, part of that could be true, but it can’t account for the sentence, “The whole earth is at rest and is quiet.” That will only happen after the Second Coming, so the references to the king of Babylon and the oppressor must mean all Israel’s enemies through history. They will all be gone; never again will any of them be an issue.))

[4]. Isaiah 24: ¹ “Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants…. ³ The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled for the LORD has spoken this word. ⁴ The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. ⁵ The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. ⁶ Therefore, a curse devours the earth and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men are left.”

This scene of judgment, by its very language, is wider than some catastrophe in just the land of Judah or Samaria. In fact, it is upon the whole world, and that is the Day of the LORD, even though that term is not mentioned in our passage. By inference, it can be nothing less than The Day of the LORD because of each description. 7 times, “earth” is mentioned and the world once. The term “distorts its surface” is from the severe judgments that will happen on the earth right through the plagues of Revelation.

One hint for the judgment that is universal is in verse 5, where it says the earth is polluted by its inhabitants. This is so true, and we see the pollution of man already in decrees, rules, laws, legislation and the corruption of gender, marriage, godliness, sexuality, evolution, lies and evil rising up everywhere. Ours is a polluted world, morally, spiritually, materially, and the hand of God is about to throw judgment after judgment at this polluted world in the Tribulation.

Of course, the double fulfillment can apply here, for God did bring catastrophe on Israel, but it goes way beyond that. Notice verse 6, “few men are left,” and this matches the statement at the end of the Tribulation that men will be as scarce as the gold of Ophir. Isaiah 13:12 “I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.”

In various articles over time, I have written on the great loss of life in the Tribulation. Just in Revelation, in chapter 6, there are wars and all the resultant death from famine and disease. In chapter 6, a fourth of the world will die. In Revelation 9, one-third of mankind will die. Then there are others as well. There is enormous loss of life, so by the time each nation sends its armies to Israel, their numbers will be very small. By saying “the inhabitants of the earth are burned,” I think it means they will be “burned off” in judgment rather than a burning upon all flesh.

Mankind can’t pollute the world with evil and remain guiltless. There is always a day of accountability. Everything has a consequence, and we see that in Nature and in all laws and the laws of physics. It certainly will apply to mankind who was created in the image of God.))

Part 8 to follow.

ronaldf@aapt.net.au