THERE is to-day an ever increasing and zealous propagation of pre-Millennial beliefs in America and Britain, and throughout the world, emanating from large sections of the professed Christian Church. They teach and preach that the Lord Jesus Christ is soon to return to the earth to reign with His saints over the world for at least a thousand years before the end of time, the general resurrection and the final Judgment. We do not dispute the view that there will be a Millennium period, but we hold it shall be a period in the world’s history during which the glory of Christ Jesus shall cover the earth as the waters cover the channel of the deep, by means of the preaching of the Gospel of Christ in all parts of the world with the power of the Spirit of Christ sent down from heaven, whereby the Kingly Saviour shall be made known savingly to sinners on a universal scale, and when kings, rulers, governments, and great multitudes among all nations shall bow down before Christ in faith and love and do Him service.
But what we wish to take notice of, especially just now, is that pre-Millennialists hold, among other confused notions, that the righteous and the wicked shall be judged by Christ at different times in the case of each class. They teach that the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinth. v. 10) and the Great White Throne (Rev. xx. 11-15) are two different and separate facts relative to the acts of the Lord Jesus Christ in His office as the final Judge of men. They calmly assert that believers, saints, only shall stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ; and that Christ shall judge the wicked only from the Great White Throne. It appears from their views, in which they differ among themselves on a number of matters, that the Judgment Seat of Christ shall be set up at the beginning of the Millennium or at some time during it, and that even quarrels between believers will be dealt with before this Judgment Seat. Then after the Millennium the final judgment of the wicked will take place before the Great White Throne.
Now, without proceeding to undertake a whole range of intricate arguments to expose the unscriptural nature of the aforesaid views, we would simply cite a series of Biblical references to establish, as we think and believe, that the righteous and the wicked shall all appear before the Lord Jesus Christ, as Judge of all, at one and the same time, at the last day, when Christ shall come personally to judge the whole world in righteousness; His second personal coming being to judge the world and not to reign personally on this earth.
(1) In one of His parables the Lord Jesus teaches us that “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away” (Matt. xiii. 47-48). Then He gives the interpretation thereof thus: “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,” etc. (Matt. xiii. 49). Here we have mention of the end of the world, and at this time the wicked and the just being dealt with.
(2) The following is an outstanding declaration in detail by the Lord regarding the day of Judgment: “When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all His holy angels with him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left” (Matt. xxv. 31-33, etc.). Here Jesus refers to His coming in His glory. Then angels are with Him, who are said in the aforesaid interpretation of the parable quoted, to sever the wicked from among the just. And again in this present Scripture reference, there is a separation foretold as in the dividing of sheep from goats. Later in this part of Scripture Christ reveals that from the throne of His glory He shall address the sheep on His right hand as “Ye blessed of my Father,” and the goats on His left hand as “Ye cursed.” Here it is revealed that the righteous and the wicked shall appear simultaneously before Christ when He shall come in His glory. Further, from this throne and at this time, He shall invite the righteous to inherit the Kingdom prepared for them (see verse 34); and from the same throne and on this same august and unspeakably solemn occasion He shall command the wicked to depart from Him into everlasting fire (see verse 41). And so the divinely appointed and divine Judge of all mankind declares that before one throne, at one and the same time, the righteous and the wicked shall be finally dealt with respectively as to the eternal blessedness of the one and the everlasting misery of the other.
(3) The Apostle Paul, while preaching to the Athenians, tells them that God commandeth all men everywhere to repent (Acts xvii. 30), and then he adds a great and impelling reason why men should seek to repent, viz., “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” (Acts xvii. 31). It is obvious from the context that the man whom God hath ordained to judge is Christ Jesus, who said of Himself, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all his holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.” Here Paul in the Spirit asserts regarding Him, that the world shall be judged by Him: not the righteous only, not the wicked only; but the world of humanity comprising the whole human race, the righteous and the wicked. And this shall take place on one and the same day: “Because he hath appointed a day.”
(4) In the first chapter of II Thessalonians the Apostle Paul elaborates on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 7-10). There is significantly no hint even here to suggest such a theory or belief that when the Lord Jesus comes He comes to reign on this earth. No! This is the inspired Apostle’s account of what was already revealed and enunciated by the Lord Jesus in the days of His flesh, as recorded by Matthew. The angels are again said to be with Him, undoubtedly to gather the elect, and all that offend before Christ at His coming. Now the Apostle here teaches that Christ shall be concerned with two distinct classes at His coming. Firstly, “He shall take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (vers. 8-9). Here we have the wicked. Secondly, Paul continues, “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe . . .” (v. 10). Here we have the righteous. And so we see here, Christ’s coming, His being concerned with the wicked and the righteous at His coming, and His punishing the one class and being glorified in the other at His coming.
(5) And now, John, the servant of Jesus Christ, writes in the Revelation, chap. 20, vs. 11-15, regarding the Great White Throne, which we believe to be one and the same with the judgment seat of Christ; and our main task respecting this Scripture reference will be to show briefly that not only were the wicked judged before the Great White Throne, but the righteous also; pre-Millennarians asserting that the wicked only were dealt with before this throne. Well, John says, “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God” (ver. 12). He does not say, “the wicked who were dead.” Then he reveals that “The books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life” (ver. 12). If the wicked only are to appear at the Great White Throne, then what need shall there be there for the book of life. The other books shall be sufficient to provide the evidence against them. Then John reveals, “That the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (ver. 12). And now we think the following is our main point here according to what John finally writes on this matter, that is, that there were those before the Great White Throne who were written in the book of life; for we read, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (ver. 15). If this language has any meaning at all to us, it implies strongly that there were such among the dead, small and great, before this Throne, who were found written in the book of life and who were not cast into the lake of fire. The “who-soever” among the dead, small and great, are a separate class from those apart from the “who-soever.” And so we conclude, that before the Great White Throne there stood the wicked who were not written in the book of life, and also the righteous who were written in the Lamb’s book of life, that is, in the revelation given to John.
No doubt to have two distinct occasions for judgment by Christ, first for the righteous and then a thousand years afterwards for the wicked, is essential to bolster up other beliefs and theories held by the pre-Millennarians. Their main theme and centre of their gospel is that the Lord Jesus is coming, soon, and before the Millennium, and as we have stated, they expect Him to reign personally on the earth for a thousand years. They hold that His throne and seat of government will be established in Jerusalem; but one writer in their camp who is not so sure, states, “Whether Christ will reign in His actual bodily presence on the Throne of David, or by His representative we cannot be certain.” Who is meant by “His representative” is not explained. And there we leave the matter.
But let us ever think of the Redeemer, crucified for the ungodly, and now exalted and given a name which is above every name, as the Prince and Saviour, “able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” He is exalted for ever. The gates of heaven and glory were lifted up for His triumphal entry therein. He is also the Lamb in the midst of the throne, feeding and leading His glorified saints in heaven into living fountains of water. Is Jesus to leave His throne and glory in heaven to reside personally once more on this earth? We proceed no further with such a thought.