Saved ... Millennial Kingdom ...

[blitzkreig]

Someone brought it up in another thread ... so I have a question. A couple questions really so I will be asking in two different threads.

Please explain to this old guy what it says in the Old Testament OR the New Testament ... about the criteria for Gentile entry into the Millennial Kingdom at the end of the Great Tribulation?


Not Israel.


There will be millions of Gentiles who enter the Millennial Kingdom who are not Jews. No only not Jews ... but not strictly speaking "Christian" either (in the sense of being indwelt members of the Body of Christ).


It would also be interesting to get opinion as to whether or not 100% of these persons are technically “Saved”. Their skin might be “saved” but is their soul saved ...? Must they be a believer?


Scripture is fundamental proof. As this is Bible Study Forum it would be nice to get some ...



:hat

[kgreen20]

The only people who will enter the Millennial kingdom as mortals will be surviving Tribulation believers, people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, both Jews and Gentiles. Everyone else will have already died, or will die when Jesus returns.

[Surrender]

I always thought Mat. 25 described Gentile requirements for entrance into the MK. But I wonder about that now because Mat. 25 seems to describe entrance into the eternal state at the end of the MK.

Mat. 25:31
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 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:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me
drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat. 25:41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat. 25:42
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

This is what happens at the end of the MK and not at the beginning.

This doesn’t say that the Gentile sheep in the trib. were born again, but it says they “inherit the kingdom” which means they must “put on immortality” for we know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Cor. 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

1 Cor. 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.

I had always thought these sheep and goats were mortal, but vs. 34 says they inherit the kingdom based on how they treated Israel during the trib. To put on immortality one must be raptured or resurrected, which means these sheep had probably died during the tribulation.

If the above is true, then I don’t find a reference in the NT of the requirements for living Gentiles to enter the MK. I will list scripture below from the OT which seems to show that the only living Gentiles which enter the MK are those who agree to serve Israel (check out Isa. 60:1-12). But as far as salvation in the MK for Gentiles, I figure if they can obtain salvation by blessing Israel during the tribulation, then they can most likely obtain salvation by blessing Israel during the MK.

Isa 14:2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

Isa 45:14 Thus saith the LORD, The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

Isa. 60:1
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
Isa 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Isa 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Isa 60:4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at [thy] side.
Isa 60:5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
Isa 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

Isa 60:10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favor have I had mercy on thee.
Isa 60:11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
Isa 60:12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

Isa. 61
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
Isa 61:5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien [shall e] your plowmen and your vinedressers.
Isa 61:6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: [men] shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

Isa 61:9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they [are] the seed [which] the LORD hath blessed.
Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh [himself] with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels.
Isa 61:11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Others...

“Sing and rejoice O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people…” (Zech. 2:10-11).

“And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong” (Zech. 8:13).

“Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:22-23).

[goinghome]

None of this means that anybody is saved by works (helping jews). Did you read what I posted in the other thread? The gentiles helping jews is simply an outpouring of their love for the Lord because He has given them salvation by grace through faith. Heathen will not be helping Jews, only helping to kill them most likely. That is why they are not being saved - because they are heathen, not because they didn't help Jews. This is a very strange teaching. May I ask where this teaching came from? Which church/denomination is teaching this?

[kgreen20]

Hal Lindsey has taught that, more specifically, it refers to how the people will treat the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. They will be marked men, wanted men, and they will be subjected to terrible conditions. Anyone who helps them will be risking imprisonment and death. Therefore, only Tribulation believers will have the motivation to help them, even though it means risking their own lives and freedom.

[Biblenuggetlady]

:thumb Arnold Fruchtenbaum states the same.

Does this mean that gentiles are saved at the end of the tribulation by works, for helping the Jews...no. Because they are believers in Jesus, they will help the Jews and not partake in the a/c program of persecusion, unbelievers will follow the a/c and persecute the Jews.

The sheep and goat judgement will seperate believers and unbelievers and ONLY believers will enter the Millenial Kingdom.

If you have Footsteps of the Messiah, read from page 647. He details Mt. 25 and the application of the 5 parables.

[Surrender]

None of this means that anybody is saved by works (helping jews). Did you read what I posted in the other thread? The gentiles helping jews is simply an outpouring of their love for the Lord because He has given them salvation by grace through faith. Heathen will not be helping Jews, only helping to kill them most likely. That is why they are not being saved - because they are heathen, not because they didn't help Jews. This is a very strange teaching. May I ask where this teaching came from? Which church/denomination is teaching this?If you are asking me which denomination…None, I just read the scriptures and do my best to see what it teaches. But just because there isn't a specific verse in the OT which says OT folk were saved by grace through faith doesn't make it not so. Besides, Paul showed us in Rom. 4 that all are saved by grace through faith. "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered'" (Rom. 4:5-7).

Paul asks if this blessing of righteousness apart from works is for the circumcised only. Here Paul is confirming that the circumcised ARE and HAVE BEEN credited righteous apart from works (saved by grace through faith, imo).

Then, Paul continues and says that this promise is ALSO for the uncircumcised and reminds us how Abraham was credited righteous while he was uncircumcised. So, although there may not be a specific verse in the OT about them being saved by grace through faith, Paul confirms it later.

As far as the MK, did you see my quotes above? "This doesn’t say that the Gentile sheep in the trib. were born again, but it says they ‘inherit the kingdom’ which means they must ‘put on immortality’ for we know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So as far as salvation in the MK for Gentiles, I figure if they can obtain salvation by blessing Israel during the tribulation, then they can most likely obtain salvation by blessing Israel during the MK.”

Okay, I see where I have spoken too hastily. Let me clarify… This is how I would put it. From what I can see from Scripture, the Gentile sheep that are judged in Matt. 25 eventually “inherit the kingdom”, therefore, at some point they MUST have been given grace by faith in Jesus the Christ. However, it is also clear how Jesus the Lord is expecting them to demonstrate their faith – love His brethren means loving Him (bless Israel). In every age, God gives His grace by faith in order that the righteousness of God be demonstrated through whom He has chosen. BUT He does ask it to be demonstrated in particular ways. For us, it is unto good works that He has specifically prepared beforehand. For the Gentile sheep, it is to bless His brethren.

As far as those Gents who enter the MK, scripture indicates that they either agree to serve Israel or they are destroyed. Isa 60:12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

This does not show salvation. However, scripture also shows that the Gents in the MK are converted unto Israel, seek the LORD, and are called “My people” by the LORD. So, my personal conclusion is that if Gents can be saved by grace through faith during the tribulation (we see they “inherit the kingdom” & their righteousness is demonstrated by how they treated the brethren of Jesus), THEN Gents can be saved by grace through faith in the MK. Even if their entrance is initially based on an ultimatum, we see in scripture that they later have a chance to demonstrate their faith by serving Israel, converting to her, and seeking the LORD. Again, I would say that the righteousness of God is to be demonstrated in particular ways in each age.

“…because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee (Isa. 60:5).

“…many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD” (Zech. 8:22-23).

And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people…” (Zech. 2:10-11).

[Biblenuggetlady]

As far as the MK, did you see my quotes above? "This doesn’t say that the Gentile sheep in the trib. were born again, but it says they ‘inherit the kingdom’ which means they must ‘put on immortality’ for we know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So as far as salvation in the MK for Gentiles, I figure if they can obtain salvation by blessing Israel during the tribulation, then they can most likely obtain salvation by blessing Israel during the MK.”

Okay, I see where I have spoken too hastily. Let me clarify… This is how I would put it. From what I can see from Scripture, the Gentile sheep that are judged in Matt. 25 eventually “inherit the kingdom”, therefore, at some point they MUST have been given grace by faith in Jesus the Christ. However, it is also clear how Jesus the Lord is expecting them to demonstrate their faith – love His brethren means loving Him (bless Israel). In every age, God gives His grace by faith in order that the righteousness of God be demonstrated through whom He has chosen. BUT He does ask it to be demonstrated in particular ways. For us, it is unto good works that He has specifically prepared beforehand. For the Gentile sheep, it is to bless His brethren.

As far as those Gents who enter the MK, scripture indicates that they either agree to serve Israel or they are destroyed. Isa 60:12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

This does not show salvation. However, scripture also shows that the Gents in the MK are converted unto Israel, seek the LORD, and are called “My people” by the LORD. So, my personal conclusion is that if Gents can be saved by grace through faith during the tribulation (we see they “inherit the kingdom” & their righteousness is demonstrated by how they treated the brethren of Jesus), THEN Gents can be saved by grace through faith in the MK. Even if their entrance is initially based on an ultimatum, we see in scripture that they later have a chance to demonstrate their faith by serving Israel, converting to her, and seeking the LORD. Again, I would say that the righteousness of God is to be demonstrated in particular ways in each age.

“…because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee (Isa. 60:5).

“…many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD” (Zech. 8:22-23).

And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people…” (Zech. 2:10-11).

The sheep/Gentile believers ONLY will enter the Millenial Kingdom and populate the Gentile nations during that time. The goat/Gentile unbelievers who did not have faith in Jesus and persecuted the Jews/Brethren during the tribulation will be killed and not enter the MK. The ultimate and final result after the MK is that the believing Gentiles will enter into Eternal Life in God's Kingdom while the unbelieving Gentiles will enter eternal punishment. The Olivet Discourse contains words for believers today as our redemption draws nigh, and words for unbelievers to believe on Messiah and be saved. It also has words for those who will be alive during the tribulation for both Jews and Gentiles to watch, be ready and to labor. The 5 parables are tribulation admonishments or warnings. You are mixing them into the Millenium.

No unbeliever will enter the MK, but during the MK there will rise up unbelievers who-even though living under the perfect reign of Jesus Himself, will rebel and again when satan is loosed the final time gather against Jesus and the beloved Jerusalem and fire from heaven will destroy them. Those who enter the MK do NOT put on immortality, death will still exist in the MK due to sin, but those who remain faithful to the end of the MK will then put on immortality to enter the Eternal Kingdom.

Hope this helps.

[kgreen20]

Yes, and the unbelievers will be children, grandchildren, etc., of the believers who enter the Millennial Kingdom.

[blitzkreig]

If you have Footsteps of the Messiah, read from page 647. He details Mt. 25 and the application of the 5 parables.

I will look this evening ...