Death Now Means:
We live in a day of false prophets, many claiming the annihilation of the wicked (this is the belief that the wicked die, never to rise again). Jehovah's Witnesses teach this lie. Others teach "Soul Sleep," where a person who dies remains unconscious until the resurrection. Seventh-Day Adventists teach this lie. However, the Bible says something completely different.
For the believer, to be with the Lord in Heaven...
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom..." (Luke 16:22).
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2nd Corinthians 5:8).
For the unbeliever, to be sent to Hell to be tormented in flames...
"...the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16:22-24). Is Luke 16 a Literal Story?
"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Psalm 9:17).
The First Resurrection (only for believers)
This is only for born-again Christians and occurs PRIOR to the Rapture and the Millennial reign of Christ. This will be a Civil Court for every believer to give account of his or her life to God...
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6).
"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Romans 4:10).
"For we must ALL appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2nd Corinthians 5:10).
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1st Corinthians 15:51,52).
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1st Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Second Resurrection (only for the Damned)
The unsaved will be resurrected to stand trial at The Great White Throne of Judgment before God. This judgment occurs at the END of the 1,000 year (Millennial) reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem. Jesus will literally reign over the earth as King during the Millennium Period. At the end of this period, the unsaved throughout history will be damned to the Lake of Fire, as well as the Beast, the false prophet, and the Antichrist. Death will be no more. This will be the Final Judgment. This will be a Criminal Court for the unsaved to be tried and sentenced to Hell for all eternity...
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works" (Revelation 20:12,13).
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).
Whether saved or unsaved, EVERY person's body will physically rise from the dead...
Isaiah 26:19, "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."
John 5:28-29, " Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which ALL that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the RESURRECTION OF LIFE; and they that have done evil, unto the RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION."
It is our own sin that puts us in the grave, Christ's work of atonement can deliver us...
Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Eternity only has two addresses—life (Heaven) or damnation (Lake of Fire). Wherever you end up, you will live there forever! This fact is found in both the Old and New Testaments...
Daniel 12:2, "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
Matthew 25:46, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
All people of all lands of all times shall stand before their Creator in judgment.
It doesn't matter where your remains are, God will put you back together; Is there anything to hard for the Lord? No, of course not! Do you remember when Lazarus died and stank with rot after four days, yet Jesus raised up Lazarus healthy and whole?
John 11:39, "Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days."
John 11:43,44, "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."
Oh listen my friend, Jesus will raise you up just as He did Lazarus. The question is—will you be the living or the living dead?
Revelation 20:6 speaks of the resurrection of the living...
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
Revelation 20:12-15 speaks of the living dead...
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
Do you want your name in the Book of Life?
There's only one way to get it there...
Acknowledge to God that you are a hell-deserving GUILTY sinner who has violated His holy Law (Romans 3:19). BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus as Christ, the Savior, to forgive your sins.
Jesus answered and
said unto them...
Quite a few people nowadays make a joke of Hell. They take God's name in vain regularly. They really have no use for the Bible in their life. They may have some religion, but they can take it or leave it. Maybe you are one of these people. But you know what? The truth of the coming Judgment still remains, no matter how much you may deny it. Like the fabled ostrich with his head in the sand, your time is running out like the sand in an hourglass. You are headed for an appointment my friend...
Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
The scoffer thinks that he hates Bible-believing Christians; however, It is truly the Lord Jesus that he hates. Oh, my. Get saved while there is time. REPENT YE AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying,
he shall never
see death."
-Jesus Christ-
John
8:51
Some Golden Daybreak
Ye Must Be Born Again!
