Once again returning to our previous questions in regards to Armageddon.
Although we are certain that many shall perish during the final climatic struggle between the old order and the new thankfully the Scriptures assure us that none of these shall see Second Death that is until first, they will have “tasted of the good word of God (the truth in its purity), and of the power of the age to come (the power of the resurrection, of divine aid and instruction in righteousness)” Heb 6:5.
For it is God’s will that “all men should be saved” (from the Adamic curse, saved from the original condemnation which resides upon them all as a direct result of father Adam’s sin), and that furthermore they shall all be given the opportunity “to come unto a personal knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4 Rotherham Version), that they might by this restoration process and by this knowledge this understanding chose life (a life of righteousness) that they might live, and this unto eternal life.
Now to erroneously assume that the blind of this world (blinded not simply through their own ignorance, but rather by and through means of the deceptive practices and influences of the God of this world) that somehow these are going to be mysteriously enlightened and brought to this knowledge of the truth during the great struggle to come, i.e., during Armageddon is quite a stretch indeed, anarchy is not a very good classroom for schooling in the truth.
“A noise shall come even to the end of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the nations; he will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, he will give them to the sword, saith Jehovah. Thus, saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground.” (Jer 25:31-33)
It should be understood that merely because someone meets their end during the great time of trouble does not necessarily imply that they were wicked that is in the fullest sense of the word. Despite what some may believe many good and noble people including the innocent, both infants, and children alike will likewise perish during this event, not necessarily all by the sword (by direct warfare, combat), but many will die through famine, pestilence, and disease (the last possibly the results of a nuclear or biological exchange) this and or by other natural causes, such as storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and etc., all as a direct result of the “four winds” (Rev 7:1) having been released. Now how precisely they meet their end matters not, for until the world is release from out beneath the original sentence the curse of death remains upon all.
It will be a very hard and trying time for the world of mankind, but thankfully the Lord assures us that he will make a short work of it (Rom 9:28) “For unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but on the account of the elect, those days will be shortened.” (Matt 24:22)
The “elect” by which or for which these days will be shortened mention here could be taken one of two ways, first that these days will be shortened because the Church glorified with Jesus at that time, will stop the trouble before it goes to far, and or it could be referring to God’s elect, the nation of fleshly Israel, for their sakes, for the sake of the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and etc. the trouble will be shortened.
These elections do not however spell doom for the rest of the world the non-elect as some might imagine, but the reverse, blessings, for through these “elect” the saints of the Gospel Age and the Lord’s chosen people Israel God’s favors and mercies will be poured out upon all Adam’s race for a thousand years —for their full uplift to all that was lost in Eden and redeemed at Calvary.
“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame; before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger come upon you. Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: IT MAY BE (NOT that it will be) ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.” (Zep 2:1-3)
The foregoing Scripture does not necessarily state that that the meek of the earth will be spared out rightly only that perchance some might be hidden from the full blunt of the troubles coming, this by sticking close to the Lord not merely with heart and tongue alone, but with acts befitting those seeking righteousness, such as depriving yourself of some comforts in order to aid your neighbor who may have foolishly prepare not for what was coming even though the signs were everywhere evident.
Not gloating about how this house or that house is going to be yours when the kingdom is established as some of our JW friends are found of stating, if such a mentality is not corrected there will be no place in the kingdom of the Lord for such selfish, ignoble, uncaring, merciless individuals such as these.
Besides the fact that by time the trouble has reached is full peak, most of these homes as well as businesses will have most likely been ransacked, looted and burnt to the ground by the anarchist masses.
But let us not be remiss here there is yet still another group of individuals a rather large group of individuals who will likewise share in this severe trouble. Though not considered hypocrites nevertheless they must take their portion of the trouble with such (Matt 24:51). These are not included in with the rest of mankind the unjust and so will not share in the resurrection unto judgment, but rather having received of the imputation of the merit of Christ righteousness like that of their brethren before them they too will share in the resurrection unto life. These must for the sake of the new life within them be brought through this great struggle in order that they might wash their robes which they had allowed to become contaminated by their close ties with the world. These are they which come up out of the great tribulation cleansed in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14) the Great Company class, a spirit born class who will take their position before the throne as ministers of the Lord’s sanctuary (Ezek 44:11).
This last brings us to our next subject as to who specifically the Great Company consist of. Our Jehovah’s Witnesses friends would have us believe that this refers to them, we shall take a look at all the evidence and see if this is so.
For more on who will survive Armageddon, please see our blog post entitled, “The Survivors of Armageddon”
Although we are certain that many shall perish during the final climatic struggle between the old order and the new thankfully the Scriptures assure us that none of these shall see Second Death that is until first, they will have “tasted of the good word of God (the truth in its purity), and of the power of the age to come (the power of the resurrection, of divine aid and instruction in righteousness)” Heb 6:5.
For it is God’s will that “all men should be saved” (from the Adamic curse, saved from the original condemnation which resides upon them all as a direct result of father Adam’s sin), and that furthermore they shall all be given the opportunity “to come unto a personal knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4 Rotherham Version), that they might by this restoration process and by this knowledge this understanding chose life (a life of righteousness) that they might live, and this unto eternal life.
Now to erroneously assume that the blind of this world (blinded not simply through their own ignorance, but rather by and through means of the deceptive practices and influences of the God of this world) that somehow these are going to be mysteriously enlightened and brought to this knowledge of the truth during the great struggle to come, i.e., during Armageddon is quite a stretch indeed, anarchy is not a very good classroom for schooling in the truth.
“A noise shall come even to the end of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the nations; he will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, he will give them to the sword, saith Jehovah. Thus, saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground.” (Jer 25:31-33)
It should be understood that merely because someone meets their end during the great time of trouble does not necessarily imply that they were wicked that is in the fullest sense of the word. Despite what some may believe many good and noble people including the innocent, both infants, and children alike will likewise perish during this event, not necessarily all by the sword (by direct warfare, combat), but many will die through famine, pestilence, and disease (the last possibly the results of a nuclear or biological exchange) this and or by other natural causes, such as storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and etc., all as a direct result of the “four winds” (Rev 7:1) having been released. Now how precisely they meet their end matters not, for until the world is release from out beneath the original sentence the curse of death remains upon all.
It will be a very hard and trying time for the world of mankind, but thankfully the Lord assures us that he will make a short work of it (Rom 9:28) “For unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but on the account of the elect, those days will be shortened.” (Matt 24:22)
The “elect” by which or for which these days will be shortened mention here could be taken one of two ways, first that these days will be shortened because the Church glorified with Jesus at that time, will stop the trouble before it goes to far, and or it could be referring to God’s elect, the nation of fleshly Israel, for their sakes, for the sake of the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and etc. the trouble will be shortened.
These elections do not however spell doom for the rest of the world the non-elect as some might imagine, but the reverse, blessings, for through these “elect” the saints of the Gospel Age and the Lord’s chosen people Israel God’s favors and mercies will be poured out upon all Adam’s race for a thousand years —for their full uplift to all that was lost in Eden and redeemed at Calvary.
“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame; before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah's anger come upon you. Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: IT MAY BE (NOT that it will be) ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.” (Zep 2:1-3)
The foregoing Scripture does not necessarily state that that the meek of the earth will be spared out rightly only that perchance some might be hidden from the full blunt of the troubles coming, this by sticking close to the Lord not merely with heart and tongue alone, but with acts befitting those seeking righteousness, such as depriving yourself of some comforts in order to aid your neighbor who may have foolishly prepare not for what was coming even though the signs were everywhere evident.
Not gloating about how this house or that house is going to be yours when the kingdom is established as some of our JW friends are found of stating, if such a mentality is not corrected there will be no place in the kingdom of the Lord for such selfish, ignoble, uncaring, merciless individuals such as these.
Besides the fact that by time the trouble has reached is full peak, most of these homes as well as businesses will have most likely been ransacked, looted and burnt to the ground by the anarchist masses.
But let us not be remiss here there is yet still another group of individuals a rather large group of individuals who will likewise share in this severe trouble. Though not considered hypocrites nevertheless they must take their portion of the trouble with such (Matt 24:51). These are not included in with the rest of mankind the unjust and so will not share in the resurrection unto judgment, but rather having received of the imputation of the merit of Christ righteousness like that of their brethren before them they too will share in the resurrection unto life. These must for the sake of the new life within them be brought through this great struggle in order that they might wash their robes which they had allowed to become contaminated by their close ties with the world. These are they which come up out of the great tribulation cleansed in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14) the Great Company class, a spirit born class who will take their position before the throne as ministers of the Lord’s sanctuary (Ezek 44:11).
This last brings us to our next subject as to who specifically the Great Company consist of. Our Jehovah’s Witnesses friends would have us believe that this refers to them, we shall take a look at all the evidence and see if this is so.
For more on who will survive Armageddon, please see our blog post entitled, “The Survivors of Armageddon”
