Revelation 20:12 speaks of the 'dead' as 'standing before [God's] throne' and 'being judged.' Since they are able to stand for judgment, in what sense are they dead? Note that at Matthew 8:22, Jesus said: 'Let the dead bury their own dead.' And at Romans 8:10, Paul speaks of the body being 'dead' because of sin. Then at 1 Corinthians 15:22 he explains that, 'Because of Adam, all men are dying.' And apparently, Adam was viewed as one of the dead from the day that he sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, since God had warned him (at Genesis 2:17), 'On whatever day you eat from it, your life will end and you will die.' But thereafter, the Bible tells us that Adam actually lived on for hundreds of years, during which he fathered all his children. So the conclusion we have reached is that all men are considered as dead and dying before God due to inherited sin and our own sins. Therefore, the scripture in Revelation Twenty appears to be speaking of people who will no longer be physically dead (they will have been resurrected) and that's when they must stand before God to be judged. However, from the promises of Jesus, it does appear as though people can be considered no longer dead even before the resurrection. For notice what Jesus is recorded to have said at John 5:24: 'I tell you the truth; Whoever hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me will have age-long life… he won't have to be judged, but he has come out of the death and into the life!' And John wrote again at 1 John 3:14: 'Because we love our brothers, we know that we've crossed over from death to life. However, those who don't love stay dead.' So it appears as though a person is no longer considered to be 'dead' by God when his/her name is written in 'the book of life.' This doesn't mean that they won't die, but that they are considered as 'the living' in God's eyes; and as such, they will not be counted among the dead who are raised in the resurrection. This appears to be the meaning of Jesus' words at Matthew 22:32, which say, 'Haven't you read what God told you about the resurrection of the dead, [when He said], I am the God of AbraHam, the God of IsaAc, and the God of Jacob? He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living!'
Jerusalem, August 18th, 1891. To the Honorable BARON HIRSCH. RESPECTED SIR: – I, a Christian, but a lover of the seed of Jacob, especially because of the promises of God yet remaining to them and the Holy Land, address you upon a subject which I know lies close to your heart. That you may know of my interest in your people, I will cause to be sent to you a copy of each of two volumes of my own writings, in which the promises of God to your nation are cited and commented upon. At present, accompanied by my wife, I am in Palestine, taking a hasty view of the land of promise and its people, and considering the prospects of the soon fulfilment of the predictions of the prophets. As you will see from my books, we find the testimony of the prophets to be, that your nation will be greatly blessed and returned to divine favor between now and the year 1915, A.D. The present persecutions in Russia we believe to be a mark of divine favor rather than the reverse. The Lord declares that ...
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