By Robert A. Lewis
Question: When Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44), what did He mean? Are there some who God the Father is not drawing to Him?
Answer: This verse is not understood by many people because they fail to comprehend why in God’s plan He is not calling everyone to salvation at this present time. God will offer salvation to everyone who has ever lived, eventually (1 Timothy 2:3-5) and certainly desires that all would receive eternal life and that no one would perish (John 3:16-17; 2 Peter 3:9). Yet we read in the Bible that there is “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). So how then can God keep His word, and offer salvation to the billions who have lived and died without ever having heard the name of Jesus or His true gospel message?
The Bible reveals there is a time following the thousand-year Millennium reign over the nations on Earth by Christ and the Saints resurrected at His coming, when all who have ever lived will be raised back to physical life and given a genuine opportunity to respond to God’s calling (Revelation 20:5, Ezekiel 37:6). That time is known in Scripture as the time of the “Great White Throne Judgment” (Revelation 20:11-15). A time when billions of people will for the first time come to know of Christ the Savior who had come and given His earthly life for all mankind, thus providing them the opportunity to hear of Christ’s name and God’s amazing plan of salvation prior to facing the final judgment.
During this present Church Age however, God is drawing just a “little flock” to him (Luke 12:32) who are called the “firstfruits” (James 1:18). These are individual Christians who have responded to the call of God on their lives and received God’s Holy Spirit to help overcome their basic carnal human nature and live God’s way during this present Church Age (2 Peter 3:18). Striving daily to overcome both their own sinfulness and the influence of a sinful society and Satan, whom the Bible calls the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Because these “firstfruits” must learn to overcome sin in this present sinful age, maybe even torture and death, God has promised them a “better resurrection” whereby they will at Christ’s second coming be resurrected and born-again as spirit members within God’s Family (Hebrews 11:35), then to assist Christ in ruling over the nations of this Earth throughout the thousand-year Millennium reign of Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:6). Satan will be bound so as not to deceive the nations anymore during this 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity under Christ’s rule (Revelation 20:1-3), which will then be followed by the final Great White Throne Judgment.
The rest of mankind who have ever lived will all be finally resurrected mortal, precisely as in their first life to give account for their sins committed in their first life, but with the opportunity to hear for the first time and respond to Christ’s offer of salvation, prior to final judgment. Satan will be released for a short period at this time (Revelation 20:7) and sadly influence some to still reject Christ and suffer being finally cast into a lake of fire and destroyed forever in what the Bible describes as the “second death” (Revelation 20:14-15).
Those who do hear and respond to the call of God during this present Church Age, God expects to be involved in spreading the good news of the true Gospel up until the return of Christ (Matthew 24:14, 46), even though the majority of people are not being called by God in this present age and their message will merely serve as a “witness” to the wonderful age shortly to come.
Salvation is a gift that we cannot “earn” – but which can easily be rejected if we willfully rebel against what God has shown us. So do not squander the wonderful opportunity He has provided to become one of His “firstfruits” and as kings and priests have the privilege of ruling under Jesus Christ throughout the soon coming Millennium Age.
This Happens After Death…
