Gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: – A Mystery. (Eph.1:9,10) and (Colo. 1:19,20)
St. Paul, a great steward of Mysteries of God, reveals a mystery here, in which God the Father desired to gather in one, in Christ, all things which are in heaven and in earth, in the dispensation of the fullness of times.
We all know in general that Jesus Christ came into the world to reconcile the sinful mankind with the Holy of Holies, God the Father, through His precious and sinless blood shed on the cross for the remission of sins of the whole mankind, right from the first man Adam to the last man would be born in the Millennial reign. These people can be divided into the following groups for our understanding.
Born before the birth of Jesus the Saviour. It is divided into two groups.
Patriarchs.
Others.
Born after the birth of Jesus Christ, which are divided into three groups.
Knowing Christ and accepting His Salvation or believing in Him.
Knowing Christ but rejecting His Salvation or unbelieving His Salvation.
Not knowing Christ and His salvation.
Born during the Millennial Reign.
Born before the birth of Jesus the Saviour. It is divided into two groups.
Patriarchs.
These are the Patriarchs mentioned in the Holy Bible, right from Adam till the ministry of Jesus in Israel. They are covered under Dispensations of Conscience and Law. Both had two different commandments such as their own conscience and Mosaic Law. Their rewards also will differ as the law differs. Those who obeyed the laws and lived a righteous life will enter paradise and rest there till the final White Throne Judgment. And those who did not obey the laws given to them would be sinners and go to hell and suffer the punishment of fire and thirst as we read in the parable of “Rich man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:20-25) and (Rev. 20:13) till the final White Throne Judgment. The saints will be judged by white Throne Judgment and will be rewarded Eternal Life or New Earth or New Heaven which was prepared from the beginning of the world (Rev. 20:13) and (Matt. 25:34) These righteous are kind hearted and helped many around them. The sinners also will face the white throne judgment and will be cast into lake of fire and brimstone which was prepared for devil and his angels (Matt.25:31 & 41). Between the Hell and the white Throne Judgment there is a Hidden Salvation which was explained in the article “Salvation Plan of Jesus – 100% or 5% achieved toward mankind?”. Please refer it for information. The righteous in heaven require a reconciliation through the precious and sinless blood of Jesus Christ, as they are righteous as per their conscience and or Law of Moses, but they are not sinless before God the Holy of Holies. The sins of Patriarchs ware covered and not forgiven in the Old Testament (Psa.85:2). So to be reconciled with the Father the Holy of Holies, they require the Mediator Jesus Christ and His precious and sinless blood, for the forgiveness of their sins which were covered and receive the righteousness of God given freely to them, as per the Salvation Plan of God for mankind. One important factor as per ( I Cor. 15:22,23) and (Rev.20: 4-6) is that only the New Testament saints ( The Bride of Christ and the Martyrs) will be taking part in the Millennial kingdom and the Old Testament people and Others (saints and sinners) and New Testament people (saints and sinners) except Bride and Martyrs, will not take part in the Millennia kingdom as they will resurrect from graves only after the Millennial kingdom to face the White Throne Judgment (Rev.20:4-6).
Others.
These are the people other than the Patriarchs who lived during the period of Patriarchs but in different parts of the world, worshipping their own gods, but lived a righteous life as per their own conscience. They will enter Paradise and rest there, and they are in heaven. This is confirmed by St. Paul in his epistle to Romans (Rom. 2:11-16). God is impartial, and judge them righteous who though do not have the Law of Moses in their hands but live a life controlled by their conscience, their life would be accepted righteous by God, according to my gospel, St. Paul claimed. They will be judged before white Throne Judgment as righteous and will inherit Eternal Life or New Earth which was prepared from the beginning of the world (Rev. 20:13) and (Matt. 25:34) These righteous are kind hearted and helped many around them. But the disobedient to their conscience will be sinners and they will be punished in hell fire and thirst as the disobedient Patriarchs. They too will face white Throne Judgment as mentioned in the “Patriarchs”. The factors of Reconciliation of saints to God the Father through the blood of Jesus Christ, in heaven and the Hidden Salvation Plan for the sinners in hell will be applicable for them, as referred in “Patriarchs”.
Born after the birth of Jesus Christ, which are divided into three groups
Knowing Christ and accepting His Salvation or believing in Him.
These are the people of the New Testament period who believed the gospel preached, and their sins were forgiven by the precious and sinless blood of Jesus Christ, and their names are written in the book of life and they are eligible for eternal life. Upon them God the Father is well pleased and they were made the children of God (John 1:12) and (I John 5: 10-12). When these people die their soul goes to Paradise and rest there, and as they are already redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, they will go to the White Throne Judgment in the end and receive their reward of Eternal bliss in the Eternal Kingdom. Only these people are gathered together in Christ in the Earth and reconciled with the Holy Father (Matt. 25:34).
Knowing Christ but rejecting His Salvation or unbelieving Him and His Salvation.
These people are of the New Testament Period and they heard about Jesus Christ and His salvation, but did not believe him and His salvation and continued their belief on other gods., or other faith. They include righteous people in their deeds and unrighteous or wicked in their deeds. Here the Truth is that those who rejected Jesus Christ have rejected eternal life also (I John 5: 10-12) and (Mark 16:16). These people will go to hell when they die as they do not have Eternal Life, though they were given chance to accept salvation plan of God, but they did not believe and did not accept. Righteousness is compared to robes or clothing to cover the nakedness and also to reveal honour and glory. As per the prophecy of Prophet Isaiah, the righteousness of man is only a filthy rag, and he cannot cover his nakedness by it or it cannot bring him honour and glory. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Man might have done some good things and some bad things in his life and he cannot claim reward for the good things because he was created to do good things only and he has done few of them in his life, but the bad things which he did will eat away all his good things! So God wants to give His righteousness to man through the sinless blood of Jesus Christ, which does not have any bad things at all, and it is full of righteousness of God, which can cover his nakedness and also bring honour and glory as a robe and raiment. Also God gives them freely to them who believes on God and His salvation plan for mankind through the sinless blood of Jesus Christ! But alas these righteous people who rejected the salvation plan of God through the sinless blood of Jesus Christ, will become unrighteous and condemned in hell fire! (Mark 16:16).
The other group in this category is knowing Christ Jesus and accepting His Salvation Plan but did not believe in Him and lead a sinful life, these people may be the “Nominal Christians”. They go to hell when they die as their sins were not forgiven. Both the groups will face the White Throne Judgment and receive their reward or punishment and the factor of “Hidden Salvation” will be applicable to them.
Not knowing Christ and His salvation.
People in Israel would have seen and heard the messages of Jesus Christ. But people in other parts of the world did not hear the messages of Christ as Jesus did not preach to them. In some parts of the world the disciples of Jesus Christ preached the gospel and in many parts of the world the gospel did not reach the people. Such people might be worshipping their own gods but their conscience was the basic law for them. When they obeyed their conscience and lived a righteous life they were righteous and enter paradise through their death, and rest there, and they are in heaven. They will be judged in the white Throne Judgment and will inherit Eternal Life or New Earth which was prepared from the beginning of the world (Rev. 20:13) and (Matt. 25:34) These righteous are kind hearted and helped many around them. But the disobedient to their conscience will be sinners and they will be punished in hell fire and thirst as the disobedient Patriarchs and others. Their life and judgment are similar to the “Others’ and “Patriarchs” mentioned earlier. The factors of Reconciliation of saints to God the Father through the blood of Jesus Christ, in heaven, and Hidden Salvation Plan for the sinners in hell, will be applicable for them, as referred in “Patriarchs”.
Born during the Millennial Reign.
These are the people born in the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. (What is Millennial Reign? It is a rule of Jesus Christ and His saints when He will come again the second time, on this very same earth but He will renew it and rule, where it will be like Garden of Eden with full blessings and no curse at all, and devil the prompter of sins will be bound and sealed into the bottomless pit for a period of one thousand years) In the Millennial Reign there are two groups of People in their mortal bodies, and others are in the resurrected bodies.
1,44,000 Israelites were sealed on their fore heads by an angel of God, each tribe 12,000 of twelve tribes. Here we may suppose that these 12000 from each tribe of Israel may be men who are accounted as per Jewish custom and the women and children will not be accounted though they are also accompanying those men. Please refer the journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan by the hands of Moses and were counted as 6 lacs Plus of men but this figure was excluding women and children (Rev. 7:3-8) and (Num. 1: 20,21,& 45,46). These people are righteous and during the thousand years their strength might be increased due to reproduction.
The other group of people will be the wicked people found in the kingdom of Antichrist who received his mark or seal, but they will be the remnant of the population who survived the Battle of Armageddon war, and the second coming of Jesus Christ, and their strength also would increase due to reproduction. But the children of the wicked people will be sinless by their deeds as the prompter of sin, the devil would be bound and sealed in the bottomless pit for one thousand years. Here at the end of the Millennium, the righteous people of Israel and their children will go to paradise together with the children of the wicked who were sinless by their deeds, provided they should not join with the devil when he is freed from the bottomless pit and he comes to the Millennial Kingdom to wage a war against the “Righteous” called war of Gog and Magog. The factors of Reconciliation of saints to God the Father through the blood of Jesus Christ, in heaven will be applicable for them, as referred in “Patriarchs”. The people who received the mark of the Antichrist will inherit Lake of Fire and Brimstone (Rev.14:9,10).
From the above mentioned groups of people only one group is of the New Testament period who received Jesus Christ and His salvation and they are the only one group of people gathered together in Christfrom the earth. They are the saved Christians of the world, and their sins were forgiven by God through the sinless blood of Jesus Christ (I John 1:9). They enter paradise as righteous saints reconciled from the earth with God the Father. In other all groups (four groups) they are righteous people as per the law given to them and they are in paradise, and they do not know Christ as their savior and redeemer at all. Though they are righteous as per the law given to them, they are not sinless before God, the Holy of Holies. Even the Patriarchs in paradise were righteous not because they are sinless but because their sins were covered (Psa.85:2). This shows the necessity of Jesus to them who are in heaven in paradise to obtain the forgiveness of their sins through the precious and sinless blood of Jesus Christ, in order to meet the Holy of Holies, God the Father in heaven and to inherit their eternal inheritance, from the White Throne Judgment”. These are the people gathered together from heaven through the precious and sinless blood of Jesus Christ. Here Jesus Christ serves the part of the Mediator between God and man.
As it is mentioned in the fullness of times, in the appointed time, Jesus meets the resting saints in heaven or paradise who do not know Jesus Christ at all, and reveals Him as their savior and redeemer as He paid the price for their salvation, and they in turn accept and reveal their gratitude for the great salvation offered to them freely through the precious and sinless blood of Jesus Christ and offer their high praises to Him.
Then these righteous saints together with righteous saints reconciled with Jesus from the earth, meet the White Throne Judgment, and these saints will be judged righteous and rewarded. They will inherit the kingdom or inheritance in heaven, and enjoy eternal bliss forever (Matt. 25:34). Thus the people in heaven and people on the earth will be gathered together through Jesus Christ and reconciled to God the Father.
BIBLE REVELATION 