The “Great Day of the Feast”
The Awesome Mystery of
Hoshana Rabbah!
Many are confused about
the “great day of the Feast” when Jesus
stoop
up and said for people to come to Him, and He would give
them
living water. What day was that? What does it picture?
is
it the “Eighth Day”? Or is it the
seventh day of the Feast of
Tabernacles?
What is the real truth behind the mystery of this
“Great Day of the
Feast”? What does it picture in God’s Plan?
William F. Dankenbring
In John, chapter 7, we find that
Yeshua went down to
What is the “last day” of the
Feast? Why is it called, “the Great
Day”?
Many have assumed, and taught, that
this refers to the concluding festival which follows right after the Feast of
Tabernacles, called “The Eighth Day.” In
Hebrew it is called Shemini Atzeret, which simply means, “Eighth Day.”
However, a strict interpretation of
this verse would suggest that it is discussing a festival itself which has more
than one day, and the day in question is the LAST day of that particular
Feast! Now the Feast of Tabernacles is
just such a Feast. It has “seven days”
(Lev.23:39-42). On these seven days the
people of God are to take palm branches, and other branches, and rejoice before
the Lord (v.40). During these seven days
they are to dwell in booths, or temporary dwellings, called sukkah in
Hebrew (verse 42).
After this festival, on the eighth
day, comes an entirely NEW festival, called Shemini
Atzeret! It also is an annual Sabbath
day – a day of solemn assembly (Lev.23:39; Numbers 29:35).
During the seven days of the Feast
of Tabernacles, the Jewish people celebrated at the
Therefore, it seems most clear that
the “last day of the Feast,” when Jesus spoke words about “living water,” He
was connecting this with the pouring out in the
What is the special significance of
this day? What does Jewish history tell us?
The seventh day of the Feast of
Tabernacles is not an annual Sabbath day -- yet it has special meaning and
significance of its own. In ancient
times it was known as the “great day of the feast.” The entire Feast of Tabernacles pictured, in
a spectacular way, the great fall harvest, and it was called “The Festival of
the Harvest.” But the seventh and last
day of the Feast -- and the culmination of the Feast – had a special meaning of
itself. It represented in a unique way
the FINAL DAY OF HARVEST!
Therefore, it also pictured the FINAL DAY of JUDGMENT! It pictured the celebration of the gathering
in of the final great harvest of souls in God’s plan.
We read in the book Celebrate! --
“Therefore, the final
day of the festival, when the last sacrifices were offered on
behalf of the other nations, was identified as the occasion when
the earth is
JUDGED
regarding
replenishment of water, and consequently, when mankind’s
FATE,
collectively and individually, IS SEALED.
(Rabbinic literature identifies
this Yom Darvata, Day of the
extension of Yom Kippur.) Striking the willows then had the added
connotation
of casting away of sin or symbolizing the thrashings one
would receive in punish-
ment for sin” (p.214).
The seventh day of the Feast is called “Hoshanah Rabbah,”
meaning “the many hoshanahs.” This
is a contraction of hoshiah na -- or “The Great
Salvation.” During the Middle Ages,
customs associated with Yom Kippur -- such as dressing the Torah in white
vestments, and the cantor’s wearing of a kittel -- were adopted for
Hoshanah Rabbah, looked upon as “the final day of judgment.”
Says
Avraham Finkel in Essence of the Holy Days,
“Hoshana Rabbah,
the
seventh day of Sukkot, has a solemn undertone, it is closely
linked to Yom Kippur, for it is on this day that the FINAL
SEAL is placed on the
verdict that was pronounced on Yom Kippur. . .
“On
Hoshana Rabbah we are mindful of the fact that during Sukkot, judgment
is
rendered concerning the rainfall for the entire world (Rosh
Hashana 16a). The
economic fortunes of the world depend on abundant rainfall,
so our prayers for
rain are of crucial importance for the global economy as a whole
and for Eretz
Yisrael in particular.
“This
is evident in the special prayers of Hoshana Rabbah. During the Shacharit
(morning) service of the first six days of Sukkot, the entire
congregation makes one
circuit around the bimah with lulav and etrog
in hand while the chazzan leads the
recitation of the hoshana prayer that is punctuated
by the congregation’s saying aloud,
Hoshana,
‘Please save!’ On the seventh day of
Sukkot -- Hoshana Rabbah -- seven
circuits
are made, hence the name Hoshana Rabbah, which means ‘many hoshanas.’
“In the hoshana
prayers we ask for rain, ‘to give life to the forsaken wastes, to sustain
with
trees, to enhance with sweet fruits, to rain on the sproutings, to elevate the
thirsty
earth.’ After the seven processions around the bimah,
additional prayers are said, after
which
the lulav and etrog are laid aside and the hoshana bundle,
consisting of five
willow
branches, is picked up. The hoshana bundle
is beaten on the ground five times
in
accordance with an ancient custom that was instituted by the prophets
Haggai,
Zechariah,
and Malachi (c. 350 B.C.E.)” (The Essence of the Holy Days, p.94).
Notice that although this custom of
of shaking the bundle of willow branches in not found in the Torah, Jewish
history tells us it was added by God’s prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and
Malachi.
What
does this final day of celebrating the Harvest, and Ingathering, therefore,
picture?
As most of us know, the Feast of
Tabernacles as a whole, pictures the Millennial Reign of the Messiah, Yeshua,
over the nations of the world for one thousand years. But what about this “last day” of the Feast?
During the Millennium, all the
nations will be taught the ways of the Lord.
“In days to come the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established
as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the
nations shall stream to it. Many peoples
shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the
house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk
in his paths. For our of Zion shall go
forth instruction and the word of the
LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:1-3, NRSV).
Isaiah says further, of that time,
“For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover
the sea” (Isa.11:9).
That’s all very good. But in the book of Revelation, we read of
what is to happen after the millennial reign of Christ. The apostle John declares that the righteous
dead will be resurrected to reign with Christ during the millennium
(Rev.20:1-4). But, he adds, “The rest of
the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended” (v.5). This encompasses all the millions and
billions who ever lived, who will not be in the “first resurrection” which
occurs at the coming of the Messiah!
John goes on, “Then I saw a great
white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and heaven fled from his
presence, and no place was found for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne, and
BOOKS were OPENED. Also another book was
opened, THE BOOK OF LIFE. And the dead
were judged ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS, as recorded in the BOOKS” (Rev.20:11-12).
Here is depicted the resurrection of
all who ever lived, from Adam to the End Times – all who lived, died, and did
not come up in the first resurrection.
Notice that they will NOT all be condemned to death and destruction, but
that they will all be JUDGED according to their WORKS while they were alive!
This great time of judgment is also
pictured in Matthew, chapter 25. We read
of the Son of Man, after He comes: “All
the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the
sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those on his right
hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and
you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took
care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord,
when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you
something to drink? And when was it that
we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in
prison and visited you?’ And the king
will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of
these who are members of my family, you did it to me’” (Matt.25:32-40).
Notice! This is
resurrection to LIFE, for many people who lived, because they will be
judged according to their righteous deeds in their lives – the GOOD that they
did! There are many “good” people in the
world, and they will be judged accordingly, at that time.
However, there are also people who
have been predominately wicked in their lives.
They have rejected the good and turned to selfish evil and
wickedness. The Messiah will condemn
these “goats,” because they did NOT do the righteous, loving, caring deeds
which the righteous did! He will say to
them, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels” (v.41-46).
John says of these, in Revelation, “And the sea gave up the dead that
were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and ALL were
judged according to WHAT THEY HAD DONE.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and
anyone whose name was NOT found written in the book of life was thrown into the
lake of fire” (Rev.20:13-15).
On the other hand, there will also
be many people who were neither very good or very bad. There will be many who are “in between.” There will be many who died as babies, or who
were born without a mind to understand, deficient in mental ability, and many
who just never had real understanding.
What about them? And what about
aborted babies, or those who were miscarried in the womb? Will they be resurrected and be given a
chance for salvation?
Yes, they too will come up in this
“second resurrection,” to receive their own opportunity to learn God’s way and
receive eternal life! God says of that
time, “No more shall there be in it [Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God] an infant
that lives but a few days, or an old person that does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth”
(Isa.65:20). Those who never really
understood or had a chance will be given a chance to live out full lives, and
to repent of their sins and to receive their chance for salvation!
This “second resurrection,” this
final stage of God’s plan of salvation – this is the Seventh Day of the Feast
of Tabernacles, also known as the “Last Great Day. ” In Judaism, it is called ‘Hoshana Rabbah” –
the “Great Salvation” – because that is the time when BILLLIONS will be judged
and enter the Kingdom of God! It is the
time period called the “Great White Throne Judgment” in Revelation, chapter
20! It literally pictures the final day
of “judgment” and sealing those who will receive eternal life (compare
Rev.20:11-15), as opposed to those who will suffer the second and final death
penalty (v.14-15).
This final day of harvest
celebration pictures the vast second resurrection – the resurrection of all
people who ever lived, who did not quality to be in the first resurrection, at
the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah (Rev.20:1-4). All these others will rise up, to human life,
after the 1,000 year period (Rev.20:5-6).
They will be judged at that time – the time of the “Great Salvation,” or
“Many Hoshanas.”
Mitch and Zhava Glaser tell us
concerning this day of Hoshana Rabbah:
“The seventh and
last day of Sukkot, known as Hoshana Rabbah, ‘The Great
Hoshana,’
is somewhat a festival in itself. On
other days of the feast, when the
family
goes to synagogue, one procession is made around the sanctuary with
lulav
and etrog while the congregation sings, ‘Hoshianah, save us.’ This
particular
tradition is believed to date back to the time of the Maccabees, around
165
B.C.
“On
the final day, the entire congregation marches around seven times, carrying
even
more willow leaves with them. These
seven times, a memorial of the circuits
made
by the ancient priests around the Temple altar during worship, remind us
of
God’s goodness in destroying Jericho once Israel had circled it seven times.
“After
the seventh time around the synagogue, the willow branches are beaten
until
their leaves fall off – a symbol of beating off our sins and a prayer
for
plenteous
water for next year’s willows. . .
“In
contrast to the festive days of Sukkot, Hoshana Rabbah is observed solemnly,
as
an extension of the Day of Atonement. On
this day, the rabbis tell us, the GATES
OF
JUDGMENT FINALLY CLOSE and the decrees pronounced by God on the Day
of
Atonement take effect” (The Fall Feasts of Israel, p.198-199).
At this time the Spirit of God
will be poured out on all these nations and people who come up in this
resurrection, who never had a real opportunity for salvation, who died in
ignorance of the ways and truth of God.
They will “beat off their sins” and pray for God’s Holy Spirit, which is
typified by “water,” and they will receive it abundantly (Joel 2:28-29).
Joel Ziff, in Mirrors in Time: A Psycho-Spiritual Journey through the Jewish
Year, tells us more about Hoshana Rabbah:
“The seventh day
of Sukkot is known as Hoshana Rabbah. On
this day, the ritual of
Hoshanot
[marching around the synagogue or room] involves seven circlings of the
synagogue
with the four species. At the end of
this ritual, willow branches are beaten
against
the ground. Hoshana Rabbah is viewed as
the END of the cycle which began
on
the first day of Elul” (p.235).
In other words, Hoshana Rabbah is
the culmination of the holy day season that begins with the month of Elul,
which is the preparation month for the great feasts of the month of
Tishri. Thus the process begins with
self-examination and repentance, enjoined on us during Elul, heightened with
Rosh Hoshana, and the trumpet warnings sounded on that day to repent and draw
close to God. This Feast of Trumpets is
followed by the Days of Awe, leading up to Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement,
picturing judgment and cleansing -- forgiveness to the deserving and judgment
upon the wicked. This is followed by the
joyousness of the Feast of Sukkot, but this time is terminated by the FINAL
judgment of Hoshana Rabbah!
In reality, then, we have the
following scenario:
1) Month of Elul -- 30
days -- warning to examine ourselves and come to
deeper repentance
2) Rosh Hashanah -- Day
of Blowing -- pictures final warnings of God symbolized
by the seven trumpets of Revelation, picturing the final
call to repentance
3) Days of Awe -- final
“ten days” of warning to prepare to meet the Messiah
4) Yom Kippur -- Messiah
returns, and judges the world, and marries His bride
5) Feast of Sukkot --
seven days of joyous exuberance and feasting -- symbolizing
Millennial Kingdom of
Messiah, and the wedding feast and Marriage of the Lamb
6)
Hoshana Rabbah -- last great day of the Feast of Sukkot -- symbolizes Great
White Throne Judgment, when all who ever lived receive opportunity for
salvation
After this comes Shemini Atzeret,
the “Eighth Day,” which we will discuss later in this article.
Each day of the Feast of Tabernacles,
a vital celebration took place called Simkhat Beit Hashoavah, that is,
“The Rejoicing at the Place of the Water-Drawing.”
“Each morning of
Sukkot, the priests went to the pool of Siloah (Silwan) near
Jerusalem
to fill a golden flask. Shofar blasts
greeted their arrival at the Temple’s
Water
Gate. They then ascended and poured the
water so that it flowed over the
altar
simultaneously with wine from another bowl.
When the priest was about to
pour
the water, the people shouted ‘Raise your hand!’ because of an incident that
occurred
in a previous year: The high priest
Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 B.C.E.)
showed
contempt for the rite by spilling the water at his feet, a transgression for
which
worshippers threw their citrons at him.
“The
pelted priest had demonstrated his alliance with the Sadducees, who literally
followed
Torah and only what was specifically in Torah. (Explained as an oral
instruction
given to Moses at Sinai, this water rite was not mentioned in The Five
Books.) The deliriously happy celebration connected
with the water drawing
developed
when the Pharisees (who believed in the Oral Tradition and interpretation
of
Torah and gave us the rabbinic Judaism we know today) triumphed over them
in
the first century.
“Based
on Isaiah’s promise ‘With joy shall you draw water out of the wells of
salvation’
(12:3),
rejoicing began at the end of the first day and took place every night except
Shabbat. Talmud recorded that ‘one who had never
witnessed the Rejoicing of the Place
of
the Water Drawing has never seen true joy in his life.’ (Although the celebration
was
for the libation that would be made the next morning, it was named for
the prepar-
ation
for the ritual -- the water drawing -- which the rabbis said showed that
getting
ready
was sometimes of greater merit than the mitzvah itself because of its
positive
effect
on the person doing it.)” (p.213-214).
For this fascinating ceremony, four immense candelabrum
were set in the Temple courtyard for the Feast of Sukkot, 75 feet in
height. Each candelabra had four golden
bowls, and was reached by four ladders.
Each bowl was capable of holding many gallons of oil. Four youths of priestly descent each held a
pitcher of oil, which they used to fill the bowls. Wicks were made from the old, cast-off
priestly garments and rags from worn-out vestments. When the candelabrum were lit, they generated
such intense and brilliant light, that not a courtyard in the whole city of
Jerusalem failed to be illuminated by the blazing light. As the mighty torches blazed in the night, we
read:
“A Levite
orchestra of flutes, trumpets, harps, and cymbals accompanied torchlight
processions,
and men who had earned the capacity for real spiritual joy through their
purity,
character and scholarship danced ecstatically to the hand-clapping, foot-
stomping,
and hymn-singing crowds.
“We
do not imagine our distinguished sages as acrobats and tumblers, but they were
often
agile physically as well as mentally. Rabbi
Simon ben Gamaliel juggled eight
lighted
torches and raised himself into a handstand on two fingers, a gymnastic feat
no
one else could master. Others juggled
eight knives, eight glasses of wine, or eight
eggs
before leaders and dignitaries” (p.214).
Why was this ceremony called “The Water-Drawing
Ceremony”? Alfred Edersheim gives us the
emphatic reason, as understood by the Rabbis.
He writes:
“For though that
ceremony was considered by the Rabbis as being a subordinate
reference
to the dispensation of the rain, the annual fall of which they imagined
was
determined by God at that feast, its main and real application was to the
future
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as predicted -- probably in allusion to
this
very
rite -- by Isaiah the prophet. Thus the
Talmud says distinctly: ‘Why is
the
name of it called, The drawing out of water?
Because of the pouring out
of
the Holy Spirit, according to what is said:
“With joy shall ye draw waters out
of
the well of salvation.”’ Hence, also,
the feast and the peculiar joyousness of it,
are alike
designated as those of ‘the drawing out of water’; for according to the
same
Rabbinical authorities, the Holy Spirit dwells in man only through joy”
(The
Temple,
p.279-280).
In the days of Nehemiah, at the
return of the Jews from Babylon, when they celebrated God’s festivals once
again, the people were told, “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your
strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, NRSV).
“Joy” is a product of the Holy Spirit of God (Gal.5:22), coming right
after “love.” The Rabbis said the Spirit
of God “dwells in man only through joy,” and surely true JOY is proof of the
Spirit of God! Those who don’t have it
are missing out, and evidently don’t have God’s Spirit dwelling within them!
The celebration of the Water-drawing was a highlight of the
Feast. It was a happy, even ecstatic
occasion, with a torchlight parade, including musicians, jugglers, and dancers,
marching to the Temple, at night, as the whole city of Jerusalem was lit up by
giant torches and the light of giant menorahs.
As the lyres, drums, cymbals, trumpets, drums and horns played, the
Rabbis entertained and clowned, adding to the joy. Not one day of Sukkot passed without joyous
festivities that celebrated the happiness of the harvest, and the joy of
community.
As the dawn of each day approached, the priests descended
the steps to the Women’s Court, with trumpets blaring, and marched in
procession to the Eastern Gate of the Temple, and then turned their faces toward
the Temple, to the west, and proclaimed, “Our fathers who were in this place
stood with their backs to the Temple and their faces eastward and worshipped
the sun, but our eyes are unto the Lord” (based on Ezekiel 8:16).
We read in the gospel of John that
Jesus Christ went up to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (John
7:1-9). Then, about the middle of the
Feast, He went up to the Temple, and taught the people (v.14-30). We then read this amazing fact:
“On the LAST
DAY, THAT GREAT DAY OF THE FEAST, Jesus stood and cried
out,
saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me,
as
the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water.’ But this
He
spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the
Holy
Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39,
KJV).
The last day, the “great day of the Feast,” was clearly
this day -- Hoshana Rabbah! It was the
seventh or last day of the Feast of Tabernacles! Jesus therefore made this statement, about
the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, on the last day of the Feast of Sukkot --
picturing the Day of Final Salvation, the Day of Great Salvation, and the Great
White Throne Judgment!
For more information on this, be
sure to read the article “The Annual Holy Days Reveal the Awesome Plan of God,”
and the article entitled “The Mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead!”
Notice how everything fits in perfectly and dove-tails with
God’s Plan, His mercy, and provides a wonderful way of salvation for the billions
who have lived and died, never having understood God’s Plan, and never
having even heard the name of Jesus Christ -- Yeshua the Messiah!
Nineveh, Tyre and
Sodom
Jesus alluded to the many wicked of past ages, who died in their
wickedness, when He said to His disciples: “The men of Nineveh shall rise in
judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at
the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south [queen of Sheba during
Solomon’s day] shall rise up in the judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is
here” (Matt. 12:41-42).
Jesus went even further. He told His disciples that if a city rejected
their message, “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the
land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city”
(Matt. 10:15). Notice also Matthew, chapter 11. We read: “Then began he [Jesus] to upbraid
the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented
not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto
thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done
in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth
and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall
be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for
you.
“And
thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell:
for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee” (Matt. 11:20-24, KJV).
The
time is coming when all these ancient cities, and their inhabitants, will be
judged -- some more severely than others.
This will occur on the FINAL day of salvation, pictured by Hoshana
Rabbah – the day of “Great Salvation,” which is the concluding day of the Feast
of Tabernacles!
The Valley of Dry Bones
Ezekiel prophecies of this same future
time of salvation for the billions who have died. He says: “The hand of the Lord was upon me,
and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of
the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them
round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they
were very dry” (Ezek. 37:1-2). These dry
bones symbolize the millions of people who lived and died long, long ago --
perhaps thousands of years ago in many cases.
That is why they were “very dry.”
What
happens to these bones?
“And
he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou
knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy
upon these bones, and say unto them, O Ye dry bones, hear the word of the
Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these
bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall
live, and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon
you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, AND YE SHALL LIVE:
and ye shall know that I am the Lord” (verses 3-6).
Here
a great resurrection to physical, mortal life is described! These people will
be raised to physical life once again.
They will be breathing creatures.
They will have sinews, flesh, skin -- they will be physical human beings
once again!
Ezekiel
says: “So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his
bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews
and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above; but there was
no breath in them.
“Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind,
prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the
four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
“So
I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they
lived, and stood up upon their feet, AN EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY” (Ezek.
27:7-10).
Who are these people?
“Then
he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are THE WHOLE HOUSE OF
ISRAEL: behold, they say, Our bones are died, and our hope is lost: we are cut
off for our parts. Therefore prophesy
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I WILL OPEN
YOUR GRAVES, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you
into the land of Israel. And ye shall
know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and
brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and
ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that
I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord” (verses 11-14).
When
will this great resurrection to physical life occur? It will be at the same time God brings the
peoples of ancient Sodom, Gomorrah, Tyre, Sidon, and the Queen of Sheba, back
to life, to stand before judgment!
The
time frame of this stupendous event is given in the book of Revelation!
The Great White
Throne Judgment
John writes: “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 [who are
these?], 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” (Rev.
20:11-12)
Here is the same time of resurrection that is
described in Ezekiel 37, the “dry bones” chapter. These vast teeming millions, including the
vast majority of mankind that ever lived -- billions of people -- will be
resurrected to new physical life, and they will be “judged.” All those who never had a true opportunity
for salvation will be given a time to qualify and to be tested, so that they
can enter God’s Kingdom also. They will
be flesh and blood, not immortal. These
people will be the millions who were never called by God during this life;
those millions who never understood the Plan of God, who never heard of Jesus
Christ, the only name under heaven whereby men may be saved, or never
understood the whole thing even if they did “hear” the name itself, because of
the deception of false religion and false teachers (Acts 4:12). These millions will include the little
babies who died in childbirth, the young children who died at a very young age,
and others who died in simple ignorance.
Among them apparently will be all the babies
who were aborted in their mother’s womb, and killed, through no fault of their
own – and even children who died because of accident in the womb, such as
miscarriages. These children died never
having had a chance for salvation. They
will be given that opportunity! Those who were blinded to God’s truth from Adam
to the present day, and just never understood, will at that time be resurrected
to mortal life, and given their first and only real opportunity for salvation
(see Matthew 12:41-42).
Notice
that the “book of life” will be opened.
And that they will be judged according to their “works” (Rev.
20:12). These people will apparently
live, build houses, and plant vineyards, and live a natural, normal life for
perhaps one hundred years (Isa.65:20), during which time they will be tested
and tried and receive their opportunity for salvation. They will be taught, for
the first time in their existence, the real truth of God. They will be able to compare their previous
life, under Satan’s way, with life and blessings under God’s way, in the
Kingdom of God. And the vast majority
will repent of their sins, accept Christ as Saviour, and be saved. As Paul
wrote: “And so all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26). God is
longsuffering and patient, not willing that any should die or perish (II
Pet.3:9). Everyone who ever lived will have a complete and unhindered chance to
learn God’s ways, and to be saved.