What is the Last Great Day?
B illions have died without ever having had the oppor- tunity to understand the purpose of life and to be saved. Satan has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9), but these billions are not lost forever or condemned to the “lake of fire.” After the Millennium, they will be resurrected to mortal life and given the opportunity to understand God’s truth, grow in His character, and be- come part of His ruling Family. The Bible shows that God does not intend for everyone to understand His truth at this time. If He wanted ev- eryone to understand, they would. God has allowed the majority to be blinded by Satan to His truth (Romans 10:18-21). Only those God specially calls will under - stand until Christ returns (John 6:44). God commanded His people to observe an eighth day of worship after the seven days of the Feast of Taberna- cles (Leviticus 23:34-36). This is called the Last Great Day, a separate Holy Day (Leviticus 23:39-42). Jesus kept this day (John 7:37-39). It symbolizes God’s plan for all to be saved. However, not everyone is saved at once; there is an order of resurrections (I Corinthians 15:22-24). Salvation is only through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17). “Even as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (I Corinthians 15:22). Christ was the first to be resurrected. The saints who lived before His Sec- ond Coming will be resurrected at His return (I Thes- salonians 4:13-17). The second resurrection occurs after the Millennium (Revelation 20:5). During the Millennium, Satan will be restrained (Revelation 20:1-3). At the Great White Throne Judgment, Satan will be powerless to deceive the dead who will be resurrected and given their op- portunity for salvation. Freed from Satan’s influence, they will repent, be baptized, and receive God’s Spirit during a second mortal life. The dead resurrected at the second resurrection are those who died in spiritual ignorance. This does not
include true Christians or those converted during the Millennium. Jesus referred to the time of judgment when ancient peoples would be given the opportunity to understand His message (Matthew 11:21-24). These people, along with babies and children who died untimely deaths, will be resurrected in the second res- urrection because they had not yet had their chance for salvation. The resurrection of the dead is described by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-14). These people will be resurrected to mortal life, with skin and bones, and God will put His Spirit in them (Ezekiel 37:14). This is the second resur - rection, and it includes both Israelites and Gentiles who died in spiritual ignorance (Ezekiel 16:55). Jesus Christ will be the Chief Judge in the Last Great Judgment (Daniel 7:9-10). The saints will judge with Him (I Corinthians 6:2). All will be judged by God’s Word (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). The judgment will eval - uate how well people lived according to God’s Word, with rewards based on character development during mortal life. True Christians are being judged today (I Peter 4:17). After the Millennium, those resurrected will be judged in the same way. They will be given time to prove their willingness to live God’s way through overcoming and obedience. In this judgment period, the Bible will be opened for them to understand, and the Book of Life will also be opened to record their names. Isaiah describes this pe- riod (Isaiah 65:20-25), indicating that those resurrected will live for a hundred years. At the end of this period, those who have repented will be changed to immortali- ty, while the wicked will be destroyed in the lake of fire. The Last Great Day symbolizes the completion of God’s Master Plan, culminating in the Great White Throne Judgment after the Millennium.
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