Appendix H
Death, Resurrection and Eternity.
When we get to the last few chapters of Revelation and we come across terms such as the 1st death and the 2nd death and the 1st resurrection and the 2nd resurrection, we can get very confused. Here is a small self-contained study of this whole area of Death, Resurrection & Eternity designed to cut through some of this confusion.
When we get to the last few chapters of Revelation and we come across terms such as the 1st death and the 2nd death and the 1st resurrection and the 2nd resurrection, we can get very confused. Here is a small self-contained study of this whole area of Death, Resurrection & Eternity designed to cut through some of this confusion.
Table of Contents/Outline.
Outline.
Death, Resurrection and Eternity. (The Chart)
Death, Resurrection and Eternity. (The Chart)
The Thousand Year Reign.
A) In Heaven.
1) The Reign of the Saints.
2) The First Resurrection.
B) On the Earth.
1) The Kingdom of Christ
2) Under the Power of Satan. (The Dominion of Darkness)
3) A Gulf Between. (Not Fixed)
The First Death.
A) Paradise. (Abraham’s Side)
1) What can we know about Paradise ?
2) Who will go to Paradise ?
B) Tartarus (Hades)
C) The Great Gulf
1) On Earth.
2) After Death.
3) A Fixed Gulf Between.
The Second Resurrection.
A) When?
B) Whom?
C) What?
D) Why?
1) For retribution to the wicked.
2) For Glorification and Salvation of the Righteous.
The Final Judgement.
A) Who Sits on the Throne.
B) The Second Resurrection.
C) The Judgement.
Eternity.
A) Heaven.
B) Gehenna Hell. (The Second Death)
This is a very complex subject to present as written notes. To help you through this study I have added this contents/outline above and the chart below. As you read through the various subsections keep referring to this outline and the chart as a pictorial view of the text you are reading.
The Thousand Year Reign.
A) In Heaven.
Acts When Peter stood up on the Day of Pentecost and began preaching concerning Christ, it could be said that he established the church and having been given the keys to the kingdom Jesus promised in Matt 16:19, he opened its door. While no actual key was given, since Christ's Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, the fact that it was Peter who gave the first sermon can be seen as the start of the kingdom on earth.
1) The Reign of the Saints. (See Revelation Chapter 20)
Rev 20:4-6 While Peter was establishing the kingdom upon the earth, Christ was also establishing His reign in heaven. This is known in the book of Revelation as the 1st resurrection and the thousand-year reign. This passage tells us that a special group of people, selected by Christ, will join Him, to reign with Him in heaven.
Who are these people?
Rev 20:4 “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the word of God.”
a) Who will reign?
i) Who? “The souls of those who have been beheaded,” Christian martyrs those who have lost their lives for the call of Christ.
ii) Why these people? “Because of the testimony of Jesus.” They suffered and became martyrs because they held to the teaching of Jesus. They didn’t run when persecution came their way, instead they bravely faced whatever Satan threw at them.
iii) And Why? “Because of the word of God.” In some ways this is a double up on what was just said above. Their witness to God or their witness to Christ is almost the same thing.
iv) There is another qualification mentioned here. “those who did not worship the beast or receive his mark”
b) How long will they reign?
Rev 20:4 “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
i) With Christ.
“and shall reign with Christ for a thousand years.”
As we know Christ is up in Heaven, we therefore know those whom have received thrones and reign with Him must also be in Heaven. Clearly, when we consider this along with the fact that these are the souls of martyrs for Christ, we realise that this is a spiritual reign in Heaven being talked about here rather than a physical reign on the Earth.
(See “The First Resurrection” below.)
ii) For a thousand years.
1000 – a most complete number.
Here are some other examples of the use of one thousand years to mean completeness, bigness or totality.
“Twice ten thousand times ten thousand” The fearful army under the sixth trumpet. The meaning here is ‘bigness’ or a great number.
Ps 50:10 “God owns the cattle on a thousand hills” The idea here is that God owns all the cattle, total ownership.
Deut 7:9 “God keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Not just one thousand generations but all generations.
1 Chron 16:15; Ps 105:8 “God commanded to a thousand generations.” Again the meaning is total or complete, all generations.
All of these cases above are not intended to be taken literally. They all carry the idea of completeness or totality so why should we change this when we come to the thousand-year reign of Revelation Chapter 20. In a book full of symbolic themes, pictures and visions, a literal interpretation would be completely out of context with the rest of the book. This means we are therefore forced to apply the symbolic meaning of a period of completeness rather than the literal meaning of a set period of time. When the time set by God is complete He will put an end to this reign of the saints and Christ will return.
One interesting side point here is the grammar used in each of these examples. In every case ‘a’ is used instead of the word ‘one.’ This is another important reason why we should consider all of these verses as having similar meanings for the term ‘a thousand.’
(See also appendix C “Symbolism of Numbers”)
2) The First Resurrection.
a) Rev 20:4 “they came to life”
These are the martyrs who gave their lives, were beheaded, for Christ. They are ones who were found not wearing the mark of the beast.
b) Rev 20:5 “the rest of the dead did not come alive until after the thousand years were completed.”
There are two groups here. First there are those who have been chosen by Christ to reign with Him and then there are the rest of the dead who remained dead until the 2nd resurrection just before judgement. This first group are clearly a very special group who have qualified for their special position through their service to Christ. They suffered for Christ, they died for His cause, now they are reaping their reward.
Isa 2:2 "In the last days the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it"
Will Christ come visibly to reign in person as an earthly monarch? That is not what the Bible tells us. Revelation chapter 20 tells us that the great event of Christ’s coming will be the last event before the great judgement day. This thousand years reign and the overthrow of Satan in this last conflict takes place before Christ’s final return. If Christ, during the millennial period is not visibly present upon the earth, how can he reign? Just as he reigns over each and every person now. Those who know the Lord accept him as their king.
Isa 11:9 "the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters do the channels of the sea" ("as the waters cover the sea" NIV)
All men shall hear and have an opportunity obey the gospel, and submit to Christ. Christ's reign is through our obedience to Him. For those who choose not to obey, Christ does not reign in their lives and they will reap the rewards for this as we will see lower down this page.
c) “Blessed and holy”
There are blessings for those who take part in the first resurrection.
i) They have nothing to fear of the second death. Rev 20:14-15. The second death is the final state of those who refuse Christ, eternal death. See the section below concerning their judgement.
ii) They are the priests of God and Christ. They hold a special position in the kingdom of God
iii) They reign with Christ having their own thrones. Their reign will last until the thousand years are completed.
B) On the Earth.
How do we fit into the thousand-year reign?
It’s probably time to explain how this reign of a thousands years fits in with the greater Revelation story and with us in Christ’s kingdom today. Well, once Satan was bound we moved into the Christian Age when Christ established His kingdom upon the earth. This is where we are today, still under the thousand-year reign. This present state will continue until God determines that it is time to bring judgement upon mankind.
Do not confuse this first resurrection that only a limited number take part in, with the second resurrection that everyone is a part of.
So what about those who are not a part of this first resurrection? Who are they and where are they?
Well during the Christian Age they are in one of two states. First, there are those who are alive on the earth, either under the power of Satan living sinful lives or in the kingdom of Christ Paradise , the holding place of the righteous or Hades, the holding place of the unrighteous.
First let’s look at those who are alive.
1) The Kingdom of Christ
In Matt 16:13-20, during a conversation between Peter and Himself, Jesus made statements concerning His plans to establish a kingdom.
“I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I shall build my church.”
Matt 16:18
Matt 16:18
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt 16:19
Matt 16:19
Jesus promised He would establish a kingdom, His church, and that Peter would open this kingdom. In Acts 1 &2 we see this prophecy fulfilled when on the day of Pentecost Peter started the church when he gave its first sermon. You could say that when Peter spoke that day he opened the gates to the Kingdom of Christ
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone.” Eph 2:19-22
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” 1 Peter 2:9
“To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father.” Rev 1:5-6
These three scriptures point to a kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, established on the earth by Jesus Christ. This is the church, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus described as the chief cornerstone.
So how do we become part of this kingdom established by the blood of Christ?
“Who ever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16
Notice that in Mark 16 we are also given an alternative if we do not believe. This verse says we will be condemned.
“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col 1:13-14
Here is our alternative, we are either in the dominion of darkness or we are in the kingdom of heaven. The name ‘the kingdom’ is more description than a name and in different scriptures different names are used such as ‘kingdom of heaven,’ ‘household of God,’ ‘kingdom of the first-born,’ ‘kingdom of the Son,’ ‘kingdom of Christ Jesus
2) Under the Power of Satan. (The Dominion of Darkness).
The opposite to the kingdom of God
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19
Those who are not in the kingdom of God
“He who does what is sinful, is of the devil.”
“Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God.” 1 John 3:7-10.
So we can either be with God in His kingdom of which Christ is the head or we are in the world of which Satan is in control. There is no sitting on the fence, we can not be in between.
3) A Gulf Between (Not Fixed).
Between the kingdom of God kingdom of God
The division between these is not fixed, that is a person can move freely from one to the other by either following or denying Christ. For example a person who is in the world, in the dominion of Satan can be saved, can move into the kingdom of God kingdom of God
“Be merciful to those who doubt, snatch others from the fire and save them.”
Jude 22-23
The First Death.
There is one appointment that all of us will keep, that is death. We have all heard that saying many times but it is true. None of us will escape death unless Christ returns before we die. Even then, I am not sure whether we will under go some form of death as we change from a physical to a spiritual form.
So what happens to us at the time of our death? As we die our physical and our spiritual bodies, our souls, separate.
Our physical bodies, the outside shell, remain on Earth. This is the body that our loved ones mourn over and then bury. Either we can have it destroyed by fire or placed into the ground to slowly under go decay. Either way the physical elements that make up our bodies are returned to the earth. You have heard the saying from Ecc 3:20 “All go to the same place. All came from dust and to dust all return.”
We have heard this saying often when a loved one passes away. The meaning is that the particles of matter that made our bodies came out of the world and in the world they must remain. In a similar way we have heard the saying regarding material things, ‘You can’t take them with you.’ ‘What is of the world remains in the world.’
Now what about our spiritual bodies, our souls? Here there are two possible places where our souls will end up. We will either go to Paradise or Tartarus (Some times known as Hades), depending on how we lived on the Earth. Probably it is Luke chapter 16 where the most information can be found about these two holding places.
Note: - The name Hades can mean either Hades place of punishment for the wicked or Hades the place (places) after death. The mean is determined by the context. This study, written some time ago using old Bible versions tends to use the older terms.
Note: - The name Hades can mean either Hades place of punishment for the wicked or Hades the place (places) after death. The mean is determined by the context. This study, written some time ago using old Bible versions tends to use the older terms.
A) Paradise - Abraham's Side (Abraham’s Bosom).
1) What can we know about Paradise ?
Well the answer to that is not a lot. We know that it is some holding place between life here on Earth and when Jesus returns for judgement at the end of time. Jesus mentions Paradise using the name ‘Abraham’s side’ in Luke 16:19-31 the parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus. Some older versions use Abraham's bosom which is not so politically correct now.
Luke 16:22
“Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by angels to Abraham’s bosom.”
It is his soul, of course, that was so borne by the angels, not his body. To be in Abraham's bosom is to the Jew to be in Paradise .
Roberson’s NT Word Pictures – Online Bible.
‘…not leave my soul in hell.’ In Hades, the unseen abode of the dead. The meaning is that he would not remain under the power of death Ps 16:10. David did not speak this of himself, but of the Son of David. See Acts 2:29.
People’s New Testament Notes – Online Bible.
2) Who will go to Paradise ?
The faithful.
“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Matt 18:4 Children (the innocent).
“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt 19:14
“Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Only those who are faithful, even unto death, will enter Paradise . Notice that Jesus included little children, the innocent, those who have not entered into sin because they are unable to understand what sin is.
Jesus has the power to make on the spot decisions as to who will enter Paradise . Jesus told the thief who was on the cross next to Him, “today you will be with me in Paradise .” Luke 23:43
B) Tartarus (Hades)
Luke 16:23
Luke 16:23
“And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away…..”
One of the few places in the scriptures where the holding place for the unrighteous is mentioned is in the parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus. In this parable we see that while Lazarus was in Paradise, Abraham’s Bosom (See section A above), the rich man, now no longer a rich man, was in Hades see Luke 16:22-23. From this parable we can see that Hades is a place of torment. Luke 16:24 “…agony in this flame.” For a more in depth look at this parable see section C below - The Great Gulf Between (Fixed).
Another two glimpses of this place can be seen in II Peter 2:4-9 and Jude 6 where we have the example that even angels who have sinned will be removed from God’s presence and placed in a holding place until judgement.
II Peter 2:4-9
“For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into Tartarus (Hades) and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgement …… Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation…..”
Jude 6
“And the angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgement of the great day.”
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned.” In order to show that judgements on these wicked teachers are sure, Peter cites examples. Even angels when they sinned were subjected to punishment.
“But cast them down to hell.” The sinning angels were cast out of heaven. The word rendered "hell" is not Gehenna, but Tartarus, a Greek term used for the place of future punishment.
“Delivered them into chains of darkness.” "Pits" in the Revision; possibly dungeons of darkness gives the idea. Compare Jude 1:6. Both passages point to a time when angels sinned, fell, and thus became angels of darkness.
People’s New Testament Notes – Online Bible.
There is great debate among many scholars of the Bible as to whether this place of waiting for the unrighteous really exists. A number of writers rejected the idea completely stating that when a person dies they either go straight to heaven or hell. The problem with this idea is it fails to explain the purpose of some of the major Revelation scenes such as the final judgement.
If we are sent to either heaven or hell already then we have already received our reward or punishment so what purpose can there be to return to face Christ at judgement? If we are placed in a place of waiting then this fits closer to the place Jesus describes in His parable concerning the Rich Man & Lazarus, (See below in section c).
C) The Great Gulf
The Parable of The Rich Man & Lazarus. Luke 16:19-31
This parable is a description of the difference between good and evil, both in this world and in the one following.
1) On Earth.
Luke 16:19 The rich man is shown by Christ to have a great deal of wealth, taking pleasure for himself in this world. Notice that we are not told that he gained his wealth from fraud or dishonest means. His only sin was that when there was someone at his gate in need he provided only for himself and his own pleasures.
Luke 16:20-21 On the other hand there is Lazarus, the poor man. Here is a godly man in the depth of adversity and distress. Notice that he had to be carried to the rich man’s gate where he can beg for what little he needed to live.
We are not told that the rich man did him any harm but we do not find that the rich man had any compassion or care for him either. This is the difference between these two men and it made all the difference when they died.
2) After Death.
Luke 16:22-23
“Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by angels to Abraham’s bosom.; and the rich man also died and was buried.
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
Now we see what difference it made. Here is the poor man in Abraham’s bosom being comforted while the rich man is in Hades in torment.
3) A Fixed Gulf Between.
Luke 16:26
“And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.”
When the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to comfort him Abraham tells him he has received what he deserved. The idea being, when Lazarus needed comfort you never helped him so why should you expect Lazarus to help you now.
Then putting this argument aside Abraham goes on to say that anyway, the rich man’s request is impossible because no one is able to pass between Paradise and Hades.
Here is a lesson for us today. We must get ourselves right with God before we die because after we die we do not have a second chance. Once we die our fate is set, the state we are in when we die determines where we will spend eternally. This also places even greater responsibility on us to tell all that we can of the terrible fate that waits for them.
“Have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire;” Jude 22-23.
Jude tells us that leading someone to Christ is in fact snatching him or her out of the very fires of Hell. Out of our compassion for others, not wanting to see anyone condemned to hell, we should be out there telling them about Christ, telling them about the gospel that can save them, telling them about their terrible fate for eternity if they are not saved.
See Rev 6:9-11 The Fifth Seal – The Souls Under the Altar.
See also Appendix I, Chapter Seven.
The Second Resurrection.
A) When?
The Day of Wrath and Revelation.
Rom 2:5 “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God.”
Rom 2:16 “On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”
When all is complete and time has ended, God will bring about the final judgement of mankind. The time when this takes place is unknown by everyone including Jesus. Only God knows when He will say “It’s over, now it’s time for judgement.”
Mark 13:32 “But of that day or that hour no one has knowledge, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but the Father.”
The Last Day.
John 11:23-24 “Jesus said to her ‘Your brother shall rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’”
B) Whom?
The Righteous and the Wicked.
Acts 24:15 “having hope in God ………that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.”
Who will be a part of this resurrection? Everyone is included in this second resurrection except those who were a part of the first resurrection. (See above) Everyone from both Hades and Paradise will be called to rise and stand before Christ Jesus. There are no exceptions here; all will have to face Christ.
C) What?
An Imperishable Body – A Spiritual Body.
1 Cor 15:42-44
42 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
43 It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
44 It is sown natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
Clearly this is not our physical bodies, as we saw above; these have been left behind on the earth. Paul talks of a imperishable body, one that will not wear out with time. This new body will be a ‘spiritual body’ filled with great power.
D) Why?
We are given two reasons for this second resurrection.
1) For retribution to the wicked.
II Thess 1:6-9 “…..dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus…..”
There is often the misunderstanding about this verse concerning those “who do not know God.” Who are these people? Either, they did not know God because they never heard of Him or they did not know God because they chose not to follow Him. The two possibilities are either the ignorant (those who have never been taught about God) or those wilfully turning away from God. We get all those arguments such as: - What about a tribe of people in the deepest heart of Africa , who has never heard of the Gospel, will they be saved? Well such cases are up to Christ as we have already seen with the thief on the cross beside Him; He has the power and authority to decide any special cases.
As well we must consider Acts 17:30 which states that “God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent.” A commandment which calls upon all to make sure they hear the Gospel message as well as highlighting the need for those who know Christ to get out and tell others about His Gospel message.
Of course, for us this is all totally academic because if you are reading this now, you already know too much about God and His son Jesus Christ to be included among the ignorant. It is up to us to make sure we are not found in a “special case” but rather, we should be sure our salvation before we die.
2) For Glorification and Salvation of the Righteous.
Acts 1:9-11 "....He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Jesus was taken up into the sky and that is how he will return. Rev 19:11-16 "I saw heaven open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True....."
Acts 1:9-11 "....He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Jesus was taken up into the sky and that is how he will return. Rev 19:11-16 "I saw heaven open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True....."
I Thess 4:13-18 “…..For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord.
I Thess 5:9-11 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…..”
II Thess 1:10-12 “…..in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him …..”
II Thess 2:13-14 “…..it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Clearly this resurrection is going to be an amazing time for some, filled with great joy, knowing finally the time of waiting is over. For others it will be a time of great terror and fear knowing also that the time of waiting is over and judgement has come.
So when Christ returns to the Earth the scripture above states that the dead will rise to meet Him. This is one of the more confusing parts of this. First we have seen that our souls, or spirits are in Paradise. Now this verse says we will rise from the ground to meet Christ. Is this our physical bodies that will rise? If so, then what will this be like. Some are buried, some have had their bodies burnt. Often during an accident the body is damaged in someway, even destroyed. Will these bodies be re-erected, replaced as they were or will we have a new spiritual body?
So when Christ returns to the Earth the scripture above states that the dead will rise to meet Him. This is one of the more confusing parts of this. First we have seen that our souls, or spirits are in Paradise. Now this verse says we will rise from the ground to meet Christ. Is this our physical bodies that will rise? If so, then what will this be like. Some are buried, some have had their bodies burnt. Often during an accident the body is damaged in someway, even destroyed. Will these bodies be re-erected, replaced as they were or will we have a new spiritual body?
Just as we are all unable to escape death, we are all unable to escape the final resurrection as well. Therefore it is up to us to prepare for it now before it is too late.
The Final Judgement.
In all of history there will never be a greater moment than when those on the earth see our Lord Jesus Christ returning, coming back down out of heaven sitting on His throne. Possibly the only event that will compare with it will be later when the Holy City, the New Jerusalem follows Christ, also coming down out of heaven.
A) Who sits on the Throne?
We are not told here but other parts of God’s Word can help us establish who this is.
11 Cor 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Rom 14:10 “For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of God.”
John 5:22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgement to the Son.”
Matt 25:31-46 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, …….then He will sit on His glorious throne.”
B) The Second Resurrection.
1) All the dead take part in this resurrection. This resurrection refers to everyone from all of history, from both the Old and New Testaments.
– “The Sea gave up its dead. Death and Hades also gave up their dead.” Again we see evidence of the total coverage of this resurrection.
2) Whether great or small or for that matter we can add whether they are righteous or unrighteous. As we saw above no one but those who reigned with Christ will be excluded.
3) They will all be brought before the Great White Throne of Christ.
C) The Judgement.
1) The Book of Life.
“The books were opened”
Dan 7:10 “…..the court sat, and the books were opened.”
John 12:48-50 “the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”
We will be judged by the words of Christ.
2) We are added to the Book of Life.
“another book was opened, which is the ‘book of life’”
The book of life is the book we are added to when we are saved and become Christians. Whether there is a real list of each and every person who has been saved or whether this book is a symbolic way of describing the number of the saved I am unsure. The scriptures below add weight to the idea of God keeping a great list or register of those whom are included among the saved.
Acts 2:47 “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
We are added to the book of life at the point at which we are saved, the moment of baptism. But our name being found in the book of life does not necessarily mean that it will always stay there.
Ps 69:28 “May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous.”
Those who stray from the truth and join the ranks of the unrighteous will of course not be saved and just as their names were added their names can also be removed from the book of life.
Rev 3-20:15 “if anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
When we stand before the throne of judgement only those who are found in the book of life will be saved and will receive the gift of the New Jerusalem.
3) We will be judged by our actions.
“and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”
In Matt 25:31-46 Jesus lays this out very clearly. Jesus sees our deeds towards our fellow men as being deeds towards Him. If we fail those around us in providing help when they are in need, we fail Jesus. In Matt 25 he makes it very clear if we do not stand by Him in our walk upon the earth, He will not stand by us when we come to enter heaven.
“And whosoever was not found written...was cast into the lake of fire.” Into the same lake of fire, that prison house to which have gone the false prophet and the beast, to which has been consigned the dragon, "that old serpent the devil" Rev 12:9 20:2, the "eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels" Matt 25:41. There shall also be banished those whose "names are not written in the book of life" Rev 13:8 17:8.
Peoples New Testament Notes – Online Bible.
Why do we need the Final Judgement when Luke 16 tells us we have already been judged?
Recently I sat in a bible study where this very question was discussed. In helping provide an answer I found myself teaching an idea I didn't realise I held.
Luke 16 clearly tells us that the Rich Man and Lazarus were in different places. While Lazarus rested in the comfort of Paradise, the Rich Man suffered in the torment of Hades. This points to the fact that our fate is sealed and can't be changed from the moment that we die the first death. The logical conclusion of this is then that judgement has already taken place and therefore there is no apparent need for the Final Judgement.
In a way this is true. We are judged long before the Final Judgement, even while we still exist in the physical world we are in today. Either our name is written in the Book of Life (we are saved) or our name is not in the Book of Life (we are not saved) therefore it would be more correct to think of the Final Judgement as a point of separation where our souls, our spiritual form, will be either sent to Heaven or to Hell.
Eternity.
As we saw in the last section, at the Final Judgement we will be sent to either of two places according to our deeds and the way we lived upon the earth. These two choices are either:-
Heaven.
Matt 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
Gehenna. (Hell).
Matt 25:41 “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
A) Heaven.
So what is Heaven like?. As I stated earlier in this study, it is very difficult for us to understand the ideas and concepts being talked about here.
God is spirit and Christ is spirit. They cannot be described in terms of shape, size, colour or appearance. Nor can they be described by using physical components such as hands, feet, ears, eyes and head. When terms such as these are used in Revelation concerning Jesus or God in their spiritual forms we need to apply spiritual meanings such as the qualities of love, mercy, wisdom and understanding.
Therefore when we begin to consider something like heaven, our finite minds, which are designed to function in a physical world, cannot fully conceive the spiritual world where heaven is. When we study Revelation we need to keep in mind that the poetic symbols have been used in an effort to impress upon our finite minds some understanding of infinite beings, events and concepts.
Below is a list of scriptures giving us a tiny glimpse of the final state of the righteous
Matt 25:46 “but the righteous into eternal life.”
I Thess 4:17 “thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Matt 25:34 “you who are blessed.”
Heb 4:3-11 A place of rest.
Rev 21:1 – 22:5 The final resting place of the soul.
Rev 21:1-8 The Tabernacle of God.
Rev 21:9-27 A holy city.
Rev 22:1-5 A garden.
Where the Tree of Life is found beside a river of Living Water
Rev 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Rev 21:6 “To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.”
Rev 21:23 “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the lamb is its lamp.”
“On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.”
“nothing impure will ever enter it.”
Rev 22:3 “No longer will there be any curse.”
Rev 22:5 “There will be no night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.”
Rev 22:5 “They will reign forever and ever.”
For more on heaven see my notes in Appendix I.
B) Gehenna or Hell (The Second Death).
And now what is Gehenna like?
Just as it is hard to understand everything concerning heaven it is the same with understanding Gehenna (Hell), therefore I have again listed a number of scriptures and I leave it up to you to come to your own conclusions. Also, I have purposely left this section brief because I have no interest in Gehenna as I have no intention of going there.
Rev 20:14-15 “If anyone’s name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Matt 25:46 A place of eternal punishment.
Matt 25:41 “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”
II Thess 1:9 “ And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the lord and from the glory of His power.”
Matt 10:28 The soul and body destroyed.
To devote or give over to eternal misery.
Thayer.
Jude 13 “for whom black darkness has been reserved forever."
Conclusion.
This has been an interesting subject that I enjoyed studying. So many people misunderstand what Death, Resurrection and Eternity is all about so I hope this page has been of help even if I haven't provided all the answers. One issue facing so many Christians is being sure they are saved. Am I good enough? Will I be saved when I face the final judgement. This worry is damaging to many people and crippling their ability to do God's work.
I believe that we should stop worrying about whether we are saved and make sure that we are. Jesus said that if we come to him and are baptised we will be saved. Then all we need to do is follow him and remain faithful. Taking this idea I am confident in my own salvation and strongly encourage that each of you should be the same.
Grace and Peace to all of you.
Amen.
This is amazing. I could never understand this part. Now you have explained it so clearly that it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteGrace