There is a coming judgment day for all humanity. Really? What is all that about? What will it mean for me? These are questions to which we find the answer in this blog post.

Our Bible Quotation of Focus

“But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay [kill] us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare [forbore, refrained himself], and slew [killed] them not among their brethren.” Jeremiah 41:8.

For those who are new to Bible notation, “Jeremiah 41:8” is a reference to the Bible, which is a collection of books. In the Bible, each book consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. The quotation referred to as “Jeremiah 41:8” is taken from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, the 41^st chapter, and the 8^th verse.

Two Meanings

Often in the Bible, its verses and passages (two or more consecutive verses) have more than one meaning—both literal and symbolic. Even the literal meaning, much less the symbolic meaning(s), can only be perceived and understood correctly with the help of God.

For without God’s help we are left in darkness as to the meaning of the Bible in that we have an interpretation that is incorrect. However, we can know that only “in thy [God’s] light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9) and so understand the Bible.  

The Literal Meaning

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, “carried away captive [many people] of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.” Jeremiah 40:1. “Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan…the king of Babylon…made governor over the cities of Judah.” Jeremiah 40:5.

“Now when all the captains of the forces [armies] which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah…they and their men.” Jeremiah 40:7, 8.

The Plot Revealed

“Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, and said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.” Jeremiah 40:13, 14.

The Counterplot

“Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay [kill] Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay [kill] thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?” Jeremiah 40:15.

“But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.” Jeremiah 40:16.

The Plot Executed

“Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal [royal descendants], and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.” Jeremiah 41:1.

“Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote [struck] Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew [killed] him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.” Jeremiah 41:2.

“Ishmael also slew [killed] all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.” Jeremiah 41:3.

Others Caught in the Plot

“And it came to pass the second day after he had slain [killed] Gedaliah, and no man knew it, that there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore [eighty] men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent [torn], and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.” Jeremiah 41:4, 5.

“And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” Jeremiah 41:6.

“And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew [killed] them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.” Jeremiah 41:7.

“But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay [kill] us not: for we have treasures [a secret storehouse] in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare [forbore, refrained himself], and slew [killed] them not among their brethren.” Jeremiah 41:8.

This then is the context and literal meaning of our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8.

The Symbolic Meaning

The symbolic meaning of our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8, revolves around an understanding of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in this context which is judgment day.

Parables About Grain

Jesus Christ, when He was on earth, spoke parables which are short stories with a moral teaching.

One parable that Christ spoke was about wheat and about tares, which is a false grain, essentially a weed. “He…said…He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man [Jesus Christ]; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom [of God]; but the tares [false grain] are the children of the wicked one [Satan].” Matthew 13:37, 38.

Who is Satan? He is an angel who rebelled against God in heaven and he was cast out of heaven by God along with his “evil angels.” Psalm 78:49.

So, the wheat represents those people who will be saved from eternal death by God and will instead receive eternal life from God.

Barley was also a grain that was cultivated but was considered to be of less value than wheat. What then is the symbolism of the wheat versus the barley? To find the answer let us consider another parable of Christ.

He spoke of a sower who sowed good seed which fell on four types of ground. Christ said, “But other [seed] fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” Matthew 13:8.

The interpretation given by Christ is “he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word [of God], and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:23.

That is, those who are represented by the good ground are those people on whom the word of God, the Bible, has the effect that God intended. These are they who can stand before God “holy and without blame…in love.” Ephesians 1:4.

The Symbolic Meaning of Wheat and Barley

God makes a distinction between the good ground hearers of the word of God. They bear fruit “some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:23. In other words, although all such people are without blame before God, the love in the hearts of some people exceed the love in other people’s hearts.

This is represented by the wheat versus the barley. Both are good, but the wheat is considered to be better than the barley.

The Symbolic Meaning of Oil

Let us consider the Bible verses, Isaiah 61:1 and 1 Samuel 16:13, in order to understand the symbolic meaning of oil in the Bible.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Isaiah 61:1.

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.” 1 Samuel 16:13.

Here we can see that anointing, usually done with oil, is a reference to the Holy Spirit coming upon a person.

What is the significance of this? This means that some people can say of themselves in truth, “Christ Jesus our Lord…hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” 1 Timothy 1:12. Such persons have been empowered by the Holy Spirit “to preach good tidings” (Isaiah 61:1), that is, to preach the gospel, God’s plan to save humanity from eternal death.

These people are the “treasures in the field [world]…of oil” (Jeremiah 41:8) and this then is the symbolic meaning of oil in our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8.

The Symbolic Meaning of Honey

God desires that every human being should to be able to say in truth, “How sweet are thy [God’s] words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103. “I rejoice at thy [God’s] word, as one that findeth great spoil [treasure].” Psalm 119:162.

Persons who can say this of themselves in truth are they who have obeyed God’s command: “Study to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), the Bible.

Such persons are “eloquent…and mighty in the scriptures [the Bible]” (Acts 18:24) for their Bible studies and they themselves are indeed “treasures in the field [world]…of honey.” Jeremiah 41:8.

The Symbolic Meaning of the Owner of the Treasures

God says, “Brethren [followers of God], if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him [turn him to God]; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner [the evildoer] from the error of his way shall save a soul from [eternal] death, and shall hide a multitude of sins [evil and wrongdoings].” James 5:19, 20.

The symbolic meaning then of the owner of the treasures in our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8, is that they represent those who convert sinners from sin to God’s ways of love.

Our Bible Verse of Focus and Judgment Day

It was said earlier in this post that our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8, is symbolically set in the context of judgment. So, we will now look at various aspects of judgment day in order to understand how it relates to Jeremiah 41:8.

Judgment day is known in the Bible as “the day of the LORD” (Isaiah 2:12) and “God is judge himself.” Psalm 50:6. He is “the Judge of all the earth.” Genesis 18:25.

What is the Issue Relevant to Judgment Day?

What is the issue that merits the judgment of God? It is this. “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. But “the LORD [God] looked down from heaven upon the children of men [all humanity], to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Psalm 14:2, 3.

It is Satan who caused the first human pair whom God created, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve, to fall into sin which is evil and wrongdoing. And all Adam’s and Eve’s descendants have inherited their disposition to sin.

So, humanity’s evil character is out of harmony with God’s character of love and so God has a controversy with all mankind. But God has a remedy for the wickedness of humanity!

Speaking of this remedy, God says, “Let him [or her] take hold of my [moral] strength, that he [or she] may make peace with me; and he [or she] shall make peace with me.” Isaiah 27:5. “For the wages of sin is [eternal] death [annihilation]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

God’s moral “strength” (Isaiah 27:5) is part of what is known as “grace” in the Bible. Grace is God’s unmerited favour to humanity whereby God’s gives to those individuals who meet His conditions, the gift of love in their hearts and the moral strength to keep from doing evil.

God has two conditions for an individual to benefit from His grace and, hence, receive eternal life from Him. These are that they have repentance (sorrow for their sins which is their evil and wrongdoings) and faith in Jesus Christ as their only hope for receiving eternal life from God. All who do not feel “godly sorrow” (2 Corinthians 7:10) for their sins and do not trust in Christ to save them will receive eternal death, which is annihilation, from God.

How Will God Judge?

God will judge the two classes that make up all humanity—“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.” Ecclesiastes 3:17.

“The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.” Nahum 1:3. “He cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” Psalm 96:13.

God says, “I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity [wickedness].” Isaiah 13:11. “The wicked shall not inhabit the earth” (Proverbs 10:30), “but the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalm 37:11.

Therefore, God says to the wicked, “God shall…destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.” Psalm 52:5. But “God…saveth the upright in heart” (Psalm 7:10) from eternal death and instead gives them eternal life.

God’s judgment has three phases, namely, (1) the investigative judgment, (2) the judgment by the righteous, and (3) the execution of judgment, also known as the great white throne judgment.

Judgement day then occurs after the close of the investigative judgment, the first phase of God’s judgment, when Jesus Christ comes to the earth the second time.

What Happens on Judgment Day?

On judgment day “the Lord [Jesus Christ] himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ [the righteous dead] shall rise first: Then we [the righteous] which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him” (Psalm 50:3) and “evildoers shall be cut off [die].” Psalm 37:9.

“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man [Jesus Christ] be.” Matthew 24:27.

“The Son of man [Jesus Christ] shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man [and woman] according to his [or her] works.” Matthew 16:27.

Is Judgment Day Near?

Christ, when He was on earth, spoke of signs in nature which would occur before His second coming to the earth on judgment day.

He said, “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.” Luke 21:25. “The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man [Jesus Christ] coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:24-26.

After Christ’s death and His rising to life again (His resurrection) and His ascension to heaven, He appeared to His disciple John. At that time, Christ gave John visions (supernatural mental imagery) and John wrote down what he saw in these visions. John wrote of the signs preceding Christ’s second coming: “There was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon become as blood.” Revelation 6:12.

All these three signs occurred before the opening of the 20^th century and they tell us that Christ’s second coming is near.

The Three Signs of Christ’s Second Coming

The first sign which occurred was an earthquake on November 1, 1755 in Lisbon in Europe. This earthquake was felt in over four million square miles of the earth in Europe, Africa, and in America. It was one of the most terrible earthquakes ever recorded.  

The second sign which occurred over New England in America and parts of Canada was the “Dark Day” of May 19, 1780. It was a fulfilment of Christ’s prophecy and that of the prophet Joel: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord [judgment day] come.” Joel 2:31.

The third and final sign occurred in the great meteor shower of November 13, 1833 which was seen all over North America. This was a fulfilment of Christ’s prophecy and that of the prophet, John, who wrote: “The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Revelation 6:13.

When Judgment Began

According to the Bible, judgment has already begun. We can know this by studying the 2300-day prophecy and the 70-week prophecy. Let us now consider these prophecies.

How do we interpret time prophecies? We find the keys to unlocking them lies in the Bible when we compare Scripture with Scripture.

The Day-for-a-Year Principle

The first key: “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.” Numbers 14:34.

The second key: “And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.” Ezekiel 4:6.

Now we can see from Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 that sometimes in prophecy the principle of “each day for a year” (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6) applies.

The 2300-Day Prophecy

God says, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14. This is the 2300-day prophecy and it refers to the heavenly sanctuary.

Applying the day-for-a-year principle to the 2300-day prophecy we find that the prophecy is not a literal 2300 days but a prophetic time of 2300 years.

The question then is: When did this prophecy start? If we can know the start date we can know when the prophecy ends.

Now an angel from heaven named Gabriel conveyed the 2300-day prophecy from God to a man named Daniel during a vision.

When Daniel heard it, he says, “I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.” Daniel 8:27.

After some time, Gabriel returned to Daniel and spoke to him. Daniel wrote, “Gabriel…he informed me, and talked with me [Daniel], and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications [prayers] the commandment came forth [from God], and I am come to shew [show] thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.” Daniel 9:21-23.

Gabriel then gave Daniel the 70-week prophecy so Daniel could understand the 2300-day prophecy.

The 70-Week Prophecy

Here is the 70-week prophecy: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” Daniel 9:24.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Daniel 9:25.

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” Daniel 9:26.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [offering] to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Daniel 9:27.

Applying the Day-for-a-Year Principle to the 70-Week Prophecy

We will apply the day-for-a-year principle to the 70-week prophecy. First, how many days are there in 70 weeks? Since there are seven days in a week, there are 70 x 7 = 490 days in 70 weeks. So, the 70-week prophecy actually represents 490 years.

The key to understanding both the 2300-day and 70-week prophecies is to understand that they are related. Daniel fainted before Gabriel could explain the 2300-day prophecy to him. Therefore, when Gabriel returns to Daniel, Gabriel picks up where he had previously left off.

The 490 years are the start of 2300 years. That is, the 2300 years and the 490 years start at the same time. So, after 490 years, there are a remaining 2300 – 490 = 1810 years.

The 70 years are subdivided as follows: “Seven weeks, and threescore [sixty] and two weeks.” Daniel 9:25. In other words, 7 weeks + 60 weeks + 2 weeks = 69 weeks which represents 69 weeks x 7 days = 483 days or 483 years.

The 70^th week is the final week of the prophecy and so 69 weeks + 1 week = 70 weeks = 490 days or 490 years. This can also be calculated using the 69 weeks which is 483 days and the 7 days of the 70^th week as 483 days + 7 days = 490 days or 490 years.

A Brief Introduction to Chronology

The year 1 A.D. is designated as the year when Christ was born in human flesh as a baby boy named “Jesus.” Matthew 1:21. The abbreviation A.D. represents the Latin phrase Anno Domini which is translated “in the year of our Lord.” So, the year 2020 is meant to be the 2020^th year since Christ was born and is properly known as 2020 A.D.

The years before Christ was born on earth are designated as B.C. which means “before Christ.” So, 102 B.C. is 102 years before Christ was born. As it happened, after the establishment of the year 1 A.D., it was later discovered that Christ was born about 5 B.C.

Interpreting the 70-Week Prophecy: The Start Date

When did the 70-week prophecy begin? It began “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem…shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Daniel 9:25.

The Jews went into Babylonian captivity for 70 years starting in 605 B.C. and thus returned to their homeland in 536 B.C. They met with opposition in seeking to rebuild their temple and to re-establish themselves in the land.

It was only after many years in 457 B.C. that the Jews received permission “to restore and to build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25) from “king Artaxerxes” (Ezra 7:11) of Persia. So, 457 B.C. is the start of both the 2300-day and the 70-week prophecies.

Interpreting the 70-Week Prophecy: The Covenant

Now “unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore [sixty] and two weeks.” Daniel 9:25. That is, after 7 weeks + 60 weeks + 2 weeks = 69 weeks x 7 = 483 days or 483 years, shall there be “Messiah the Prince.” Daniel 9:25.

Christ is the Messiah who came to the earth and He was anointed for public ministry by the Holy Spirit at His baptism in 27 A.D., exactly 483 years after 457 B.C. Note that there is no year zero between 1 A.D. and 1 B.C. and, therefore, the 483 years are calculated as 457 B.C. + 27 A.D. – 1 = 483 years.

“And after threescore [sixty] and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself.” Daniel 9:26. That is, after 27 A.D. Christ would be put to death “for the sins [the evil and wrongdoings] of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [offering] to cease.” Daniel 9:27.

The covenant referred to here is God’s covenant with the Jewish people. It would continue for 1 week = 7 days or 7 years after 27 A.D., until 27 A.D. + 7 = 34 A.D.

Interpreting the 70-Week Prophecy: The End Date

As it happened, Christ died “in the midst of the week” (Daniel 9:27), in the middle of the 70^th week or, in other words, in the middle of the 7 last years of the 70-week prophecy. Thus, Christ died in 31 A.D. after 3 ½ years of public ministry which started in 27 A.D. At that time the Jews’ ceremonial laws of “sacrifice and the oblation [offering]” (Daniel 9:27) became null and void in God’s eyes.

Three and a half years (3 ½ years) after Christ’s death in 31 A.D., which was 34 A.D., the Jews stoned Stephen, a disciple of Christ, to death. Then it was that God’s covenant with the Jews also became null and void in God’s eyes since they had rejected Christ and His followers. So, 34 A.D. is the end of the 490 years of the 70-week prophecy.

The End Date of the 2300-Day Prophecy

As was said earlier in this post, the 2300-day and the 70-week prophecies begin at the same time. The 70-week prophecy was the 490 years at the beginning of the 2300-day prophecy. We have found that the 490 years ended in 34 A.D.

So, 2300 years – 490 years = 1810 years remaining in the 2300-day prophecy. Therefore, 34 A.D. + 1810 years = 1844 A.D. is the end date of the 2300-day prophecy. The year 1844 then is the start of the first phase of God’s judgment, the investigative judgment. In other words, God’s judgment began in 1844.

Judgment began with the dead in 1844 and will then pass to the judgment of the living. We do not know if the judgment of the living has already started and, if not, how long before it will begin. What we can know is that judgment day, which will occur after the investigative judgment is finished, is near.

Now let us return to our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8: “But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay [kill] us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare [forbore, refrained himself], and slew [killed] them not among their brethren.” Jeremiah 41:8.

Symbolically, Jeremiah 41:8, refers to criteria for acquittal in God’s judgment.

How to be Acquitted in God’s Judgment

In Jeremiah 41:8, symbolically, Ishmael represents God “who will render to every man [every human being] according to his [or her] deeds.” Romans 2:6. The context of Jeremiah 41:8 then is the judgment of God.

The ten men represent the righteous who have won persons, that is, souls, to Christ. They have made disciples of Christ and each disciple symbolically has the characteristics of wheat or barley, oil, and honey.

That is, these disciples have the love of God in their hearts to varying degrees. In addition, they each have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel, and they each are eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures, the Bible. Such disciples will in turn make other disciples of Christ. Because of these characteristics they will receive eternal life from God.

That is, those who have all the characteristics of a disciple of Christ and have themselves made disciples will not be put to death by God in the judgment. For God says, “He that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30) in my sight.

The wise will be acquitted in the judgment and they will receive eternal life from God. For, God says, “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament [sky]; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3.

This then is the symbolic meaning of our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8.

Can You Repent on Judgment Day?

At the end of the first phase of God’s judgment, the investigative judgment, God will say, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11.

At this time, none of those declared wicked in the judgment will even desire to repent as they have become permanently fixed in the ways of evil. But the righteous will forever remain holy.

Thus, at the end of the investigative judgment, the fate of every human being would have been decided by God. Humanity’s probation shall then be closed and no one will be given a second life as this would not change anyone’s heart and, hence, would not change their status in the judgment.

The time to repent is while one’s probationary life lasts. “Blessed are they that do his commandments [before their own probation closes], that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the [holy] city.” Revelation 22:14.

The Final Two Phases of Judgment

Now there two more phases of judgment.

In the second phase, God gives the righteous among humanity the opportunity to review His record of the lives of the wicked who are Satan, his evil angels, and Satan’s followers among humanity. Since, the righteous are holy, they will agree with and confirm God’s sentence against the wicked.

In the third and final phase of judgment, all the wicked among humanity are resurrected, that is, raised to life again form the dead, and they along with Satan and his evil angels receive their punishment from God for their sins. They are burnt to “ashes under the soles of… [the] feet [of the righteous].” Malachi 4:3.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

After God’s judgment as been executed and all the wicked have received their punishment from God, He will create a new heaven and a new earth.

John, whom God gave a vision of the future, wrote “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Revelation 21:1.

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.” Revelation 21:2.

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation 21:3.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4.

At that time, God will move His throne to the earth from its present location in heaven and God will dwell among the saved of to the people humanity.

Make every effort to be see the new heaven and the earth and to live there happily with God forever! For such people, the universe will be open to their travels. They will live among the angels and all the other intelligences whom God has created, exploring God’s created works for all eternity to come.

Conclusion

In this post, we have considered our Bible verse of focus, Jeremiah 41:8, and we have seen that it has both a literal and a symbolic meaning.

Literally, it represents ten men caught up in a plot and who were spared from being put to death.

Symbolically, it represents the judgment of God where those who have a character of love and who have done good are not sentenced to eternal death by God. Instead they receive eternal life from God.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

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