That Great Day of God Almighty – Part 1: The Resurrection of the Last Day
In Revelation 16:14 we read about "that great day of God Almighty."
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to battle of that great day of God Almighty."
That great day of God Almighty is Judgment Day, and it is also referred to as "the last day."
John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
John 12:48 tells us that anyone who rejects the Lord Jesus and does not receive His words has One that will judge him on the last day. John 12:48 contradicts the doctrine that hell is the grave because that doctrine teaches that when an unsaved person dies, that is the end for them and nothing else will ever happen to them. If that would be true, then how could John 12:48 also be true? But because John 12:48 is the Word of God, then we can know that the truth is that all the unsaved will stand for judgment on the last day. The other passages quoted above also tell us that it is on the last day when the resurrection will occur; thus we can know that the Rapture will occur simultaneiously with the ressurection of the dead. In John 11:24, Martha is speaking of the resurrection of her brother Lazarus who had died.
John 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
In the following 2 passages we also read about the resurrection of the last day.
1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
By looking at the passages quoted above, we can derive 3 Biblical truths; 1. the Rapture of the true believers who are still alive will occur on the last day; 2. the resurrection of the true believers who have died will occur on the last day; and 3. the unsaved will be judged on the last day. Not only does the Bible teach that the unsaved will be judged on the the last day, but it also teaches that they will be consciously alive at this judgment.
The Conscious Resurrection of the unsaved on the Last Day
Those of you who are familiar with me know that I have been a student of Harold Camping since 1987. I know that up until a few years ago, Mr. Camping used to always teach about hell and eternal damnation, and then a few years ago began to teach that hell is the grave, and that there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved after death. I, however, disagree with this teaching and will show that the Bible will absolutely not support this doctrine. The first passage I will refer to is John 5:28-29.
John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
John 5:28-29 is not a passage shrouded in mystery and it is not written in difficult to understand language; but rather it is written in very plain and clear language and it states that, “all that are in the graves shall come forth;” and “they that have done evil will come forth unto the resurrection of damnation.” In order to teach that hell is the grave and that there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved on Judgment Day, one would need to have an alternative explanation for what John 5:28-29 is teaching. Another passage that will not support that hell is the grave is found in Mark 9.
Mark 9:43-48 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
In order to teach that hell is the grave and that there will never be any type of judgment upon the unsaved after death, one would need to have an alternative explanation for what the Lord Jesus is teaching in the passage above. If it were true that when an unsaved person dies and that is the final end for them, why is the Lord Jesus speaking about “being cast into hell”? And why is He speaking about a worm that never dies? And why is He speaking about a fire that is never quenched? Then there is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus of Luke 16.
Luke 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
How do those who teach that hell is the grave explain this parable of Luke 16? In this parable, Jesus teaches of a rich man who dies and finds himself being tormented in hell. If hell were the grave, why would Jesus teach a parable such a this? In this parable, Jesus teaches about a man who has not only died, but has also been burried; and yet he is very much consciously alive. If there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved after they have died, why would the Lord Jesus teach us this parable? In John 5:28, Jesus stated: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." If we link John 5:28 with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus of Luke 16, we could say, "Marvel not" at the fact that the hour will come when all those who have died will come forth; and those who are unsaved will find themselves tormented in hell. Then there is the passage of Revelation 20.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. 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. 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.
What do those who teach that hell is the grave do with the passage above of Rev 20? We see that in this passage heaven and earth have fled away from the face of the One who sits on a great white throne. Clearly this is a picture of the passing away of the cosmos on the last day and "the dead" who are standing before God are the unsaved who will stand for judgment before God on Judgment Day. This is a doctrine that has been taught in almost all of the Christian churches in the world during the past 2,000 years. It is a doctrine that Mr. Camping believed in and taught up until only a few years ago when he was in his 80's. If the doctrine that hell is the grave were true and there is no conscious existence for the unsaved after death, who are these dead souls standing before God while the books are opened and the dead are judged? Since we are told in this passage that heaven and earth have fled away from the face of the One sitting on the great white throne, in order to teach that hell is the grave one would have to have an alternative explanation for who these dead souls are that are standing before God. In Luke Chapter 12, we read about the punishment that will be dealt out on the unsaved on the last day.
Luke 12:43-48 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall findso doing .Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him rulerover all that he hath. But and if that servant sayin his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eatand drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will comein a day when he lookethnot for him, and at an hour when he isnot aware, and will cuthim in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knewhis lord's will, and preparednot himself, neither didaccording to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knewnot, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committedmuch, of him they will ask the more.
In conclusion, in order to teach that hell is the grave and that there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved on the last day, (which is Judgment Day), one would need to have an alternative explanation for each and every one of the passages that I have quoted above. And I only chose a few sample passages; because there are many more passages in the Bible that speak about hell and damnation for the unsaved. I remember Mr. Camping teaching a few months ago that the end would come like a “quiet whisper”; and what I am saying is, "No!" That it will not come like a “quiet whisper.” Read how the Bible describes the end in the following passages.
Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Luke 21:25-26 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
I am writing to say that hell is a true reality and that it is coming for the unsaved on the last day. And this reminds me of the times when the prophet Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 8:11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Jeremiah 12:12 The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
Jeremiah 14:13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Jeremiah 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said , Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to battle of that great day of God Almighty."
That great day of God Almighty is Judgment Day, and it is also referred to as "the last day."
John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
John 12:48 tells us that anyone who rejects the Lord Jesus and does not receive His words has One that will judge him on the last day. John 12:48 contradicts the doctrine that hell is the grave because that doctrine teaches that when an unsaved person dies, that is the end for them and nothing else will ever happen to them. If that would be true, then how could John 12:48 also be true? But because John 12:48 is the Word of God, then we can know that the truth is that all the unsaved will stand for judgment on the last day. The other passages quoted above also tell us that it is on the last day when the resurrection will occur; thus we can know that the Rapture will occur simultaneiously with the ressurection of the dead. In John 11:24, Martha is speaking of the resurrection of her brother Lazarus who had died.
John 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
In the following 2 passages we also read about the resurrection of the last day.
1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
By looking at the passages quoted above, we can derive 3 Biblical truths; 1. the Rapture of the true believers who are still alive will occur on the last day; 2. the resurrection of the true believers who have died will occur on the last day; and 3. the unsaved will be judged on the last day. Not only does the Bible teach that the unsaved will be judged on the the last day, but it also teaches that they will be consciously alive at this judgment.
The Conscious Resurrection of the unsaved on the Last Day
Those of you who are familiar with me know that I have been a student of Harold Camping since 1987. I know that up until a few years ago, Mr. Camping used to always teach about hell and eternal damnation, and then a few years ago began to teach that hell is the grave, and that there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved after death. I, however, disagree with this teaching and will show that the Bible will absolutely not support this doctrine. The first passage I will refer to is John 5:28-29.
John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
John 5:28-29 is not a passage shrouded in mystery and it is not written in difficult to understand language; but rather it is written in very plain and clear language and it states that, “all that are in the graves shall come forth;” and “they that have done evil will come forth unto the resurrection of damnation.” In order to teach that hell is the grave and that there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved on Judgment Day, one would need to have an alternative explanation for what John 5:28-29 is teaching. Another passage that will not support that hell is the grave is found in Mark 9.
Mark 9:43-48 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
In order to teach that hell is the grave and that there will never be any type of judgment upon the unsaved after death, one would need to have an alternative explanation for what the Lord Jesus is teaching in the passage above. If it were true that when an unsaved person dies and that is the final end for them, why is the Lord Jesus speaking about “being cast into hell”? And why is He speaking about a worm that never dies? And why is He speaking about a fire that is never quenched? Then there is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus of Luke 16.
Luke 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
How do those who teach that hell is the grave explain this parable of Luke 16? In this parable, Jesus teaches of a rich man who dies and finds himself being tormented in hell. If hell were the grave, why would Jesus teach a parable such a this? In this parable, Jesus teaches about a man who has not only died, but has also been burried; and yet he is very much consciously alive. If there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved after they have died, why would the Lord Jesus teach us this parable? In John 5:28, Jesus stated: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." If we link John 5:28 with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus of Luke 16, we could say, "Marvel not" at the fact that the hour will come when all those who have died will come forth; and those who are unsaved will find themselves tormented in hell. Then there is the passage of Revelation 20.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. 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. 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.
What do those who teach that hell is the grave do with the passage above of Rev 20? We see that in this passage heaven and earth have fled away from the face of the One who sits on a great white throne. Clearly this is a picture of the passing away of the cosmos on the last day and "the dead" who are standing before God are the unsaved who will stand for judgment before God on Judgment Day. This is a doctrine that has been taught in almost all of the Christian churches in the world during the past 2,000 years. It is a doctrine that Mr. Camping believed in and taught up until only a few years ago when he was in his 80's. If the doctrine that hell is the grave were true and there is no conscious existence for the unsaved after death, who are these dead souls standing before God while the books are opened and the dead are judged? Since we are told in this passage that heaven and earth have fled away from the face of the One sitting on the great white throne, in order to teach that hell is the grave one would have to have an alternative explanation for who these dead souls are that are standing before God. In Luke Chapter 12, we read about the punishment that will be dealt out on the unsaved on the last day.
Luke 12:43-48 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall findso doing .Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him rulerover all that he hath. But and if that servant sayin his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eatand drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will comein a day when he lookethnot for him, and at an hour when he isnot aware, and will cuthim in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knewhis lord's will, and preparednot himself, neither didaccording to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knewnot, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committedmuch, of him they will ask the more.
In conclusion, in order to teach that hell is the grave and that there is no conscious resurrection of the unsaved on the last day, (which is Judgment Day), one would need to have an alternative explanation for each and every one of the passages that I have quoted above. And I only chose a few sample passages; because there are many more passages in the Bible that speak about hell and damnation for the unsaved. I remember Mr. Camping teaching a few months ago that the end would come like a “quiet whisper”; and what I am saying is, "No!" That it will not come like a “quiet whisper.” Read how the Bible describes the end in the following passages.
Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Luke 21:25-26 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
I am writing to say that hell is a true reality and that it is coming for the unsaved on the last day. And this reminds me of the times when the prophet Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 8:11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
Jeremiah 12:12 The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
Jeremiah 14:13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Jeremiah 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said , Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
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