Q. In Matt 3.10 it says that "the axe is already laid at the root of the tree." What does that mean?

A. These words were spoken by John the Baptist as he was preaching along the Jordan, preparing people for the coming of the Messiah. They were to get ready spiritually and repent from all the false teachings that they were hearing from the religious leaders. The prevailing thought was that God wasn't going to judge them because they were His children and the Temple was there and they were exempt from a few things, most notably faith in the Lord. Now, not everyone believed this but John was speaking to a mixed crowd and some thought that because they were Jewish they had something special (3.9) and God would never do away with Israel. Many knew the prophecies of Daniel and knew that Rome was the fourth kingdom predicted and believed that Messiah was coming. As a result, he would do away with Rome and establish Israel as the head of the nations. What they didn't see was that prophecy was going to take two thousand years to be fulfilled and the Messiah was going to be cut off and the nation would be destroyed and scattered among the nations. Rome had already conquered Israel and was already in the land administering Roman rule, although they allowed the Jews to practice their religion. So, John was telling the people to get ready, judgment was coming and the "axe" (Rome) was already at the root of the "tree" (Israel). In other words, the Lord has already moved in with His instrument of judgment (Rome/axe) and if the people did not turn to the Lord they were going to be cut down. Matt 15.13 says that every plant that was not planted by the Lord was going to be "cut down" and that happened in 70 A.D. during the first Jewish revolt.

Q. Will all Christians be raised at the first resurrection or will some be raised at the first resurrection and some be raised at the end of the thousand years?
A. The resurrection is going to happen in stages and at different times. All believers will be in what is called the first resurrection even though it happens in stages and several thousand years apart in some cases. Once you know the stages you can read a verse and know when it is talking about. Dan 12.2 talks about the the righteous and unrighteous being raised but it may be thousands of years between the two. So, let's look at the stages. First, Yeshua was raised from the dead as we all know (Mt 28.1-7; Mk 16.1-11). But, what many fail to see is that others were resurrected within hours and were seen in the city (Mt 27.50-53). So, the first resurrection has already started. It's been two thousand years since that first stage but the next stage is coming up at the Natzal, or rapture, before the Tribulation period begins (1 Thes 4.13-18; 1 Cor 15.50-53). This will include every believer from creation and also those who are alive at the time. They will have their bodies changed to enter into the eternal state with the Lord and then return to earth with Him at His Second Coming. The bodies of all unbelievers will remain in the earth. In the middle of the Tribulation there will be the resurrection of the two witnesses (Rev 11.11-12). Then, at the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom those believers that died during the Tribulation will be raised (Rev 20.4-6). Those who survived the Tribulation will enter the Messianic Kingdom in natural bodies and were not killed when Yeshua returned and judged the nations (Mt 25). They will have children, but some will believe and others won't and this will go on for a thousand years. Lastly, at the end of the Messianic Kingdom, all unbelievers will be judged. Some will still be in natural bodies at the end of the thousand years but those who have died during the seven thousand years of human history will be raised at the Great White Throne judgment and stand before God (Rev 20.11-15). This is not for salvation but for judgment because they rejected eternal life. The resurrection of believers who died during the Messianic Kingdom is not mentioned in these verses but can be assumed. It could be that they are resurrected first and changed and will be present for the confirmation of their being justified by faith by the Lord. Their eternal state has been already assigned to them. Further light may be cast on this as the Messianic Kingdom goes along. After that, all unbelievers will be present and judged on their works because they rejected salvation by faith. As a result , they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, an eternal sate of separation from God and from that point God leads only those justified by faith into what is called the Olam Haba, or the World to Come. So, in conclusion, believers who have died will have a part in the first resurrection even though it happens in stages and at various times. Any unbeliever who has died will wait till the Great White Throne judgment and be raised and judged at that time.

Q. What does it mean when it says "the veil of the Temple was torn?"

A. This is a very mystical expression and let me explain some things. The expression is found in many places but I assume you are referring to the phrase in Mt 27.51. The veil that was torn was the outer veil leading into the Holy Place of the sanctuary, not the Holy of Holies. That had two veils and it could be entered by walking between the veils. This outer veil of the gate on the Ulam (porch) of the sanctuary was made of four colors. Blue indicating the heavens; linen, or flax, was brownish in color symbolizing the earth; scarlet indicating fire and purple stood for the sea. This veil had stars and the known planets on them and it was called the "panorama of the heavens." This gate to the sanctuary where the veil stood opened by itself for 40 years after the death of Yeshua. This curtain, or "the heavens", was opened on the 9th of Av and other occasions for the people to look into the holy of holies and so the veil being taken away was done before (Josephus, Wars, Bk 5; Hertz Siddur p. 959; Kaplan,Torah Anthology, p 91). The "tearing" or opening of this veil meant that the deeper things of God will now be understood, or open. When Stephen in Acts 7 or John in Rev 4 saw the heavens "opened" it meant access to the hidden, the mystical. It meant you are about to understand the deeper things of God and in Stephens case he was going there in person. So, with that in mind when it says in Psa 84.10 that "I would rather stand at the threshold (door) of the house of my God" now you know why. To be a "door man" in the house of God means that you can "open" up to the people the mystical, hidden, deep things of God. So, when Yeshua died on the cross and this veil was torn, opened, so the people already knew what this meant and that God was revealing something very deep and access to the things of God to be revealed was now accomplished for anyone who believes. There were many, mystical things going on when this happened and the writings of the Gospels and Epistles brought out so much more about redemption, salvation, propitiation and everything associated with the blood of Messiah and what it accomplished. God gave the people a sign just at the right moment to say that He was about to take the people deeper into the things of heaven and that its mysteries were about to opened to the people, and that's exactly what happened. And not everything has been revealed yet so that door is still open to us today.I hope this answers your question.