The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in John 5:28-29,
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned."
Life after death! We will all suffer physical death (excepting, of course, those who happen to be alive when this age comes to a close as Jesus Christ returns to earth). "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." Hebrews 9:27.
There are two, and only two ways a person rises from the dead: to eternal life or to face eternal condemnation. "This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them..." Here is the disposition of all who participate in that "second death", that eternal condemnation, "The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."
The burning (pun intended) issue, then, is how is one's name written in the book of life? Going back to what Jesus said in John 5:24, "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." Any one of us can rise from our physical deaths to eternal life. However, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that only those who believe in the Lord, who have embraced the Lord in faith, who have placed their confidence and trust in him in this life will have their names written in the book of life and rise to eternal life!
There is no reincarnation, there are no "recycles" through life to better ourselves, there is no purgatory, there is no "soul sleep", there is nothing following our deaths other than what the Lord taught us when he was here. All of these other thoughts and concepts are fantasies without any support whatsoever in the Scriptures.
What he taught us while here is there is a place of torment for those who have not embraced the Lord in faith where people immediately go when they suffer their physical deaths. See the account of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Following the end of this age, when the Lord returns, all who are in this place of torment will be raised to be condemned in the Lord's court and cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, see Revelation 21:8.
Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith in this life will immediately be brought into the Lord's presence in heaven when they suffer their physical deaths. In the account in Luke we read of paradise where Abraham remained until Jesus' ascension into heaven. When he ascended, he emptied out paradise and took all there to heaven. (Those who were in the place of torment remain there still, till they are raised for judgment. This is where all go who have not embraced the Lord in faith.) It is from this disembodied presence in heaven that all will be raised with renewed bodies to eternal life.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:1-4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned."
Life after death! We will all suffer physical death (excepting, of course, those who happen to be alive when this age comes to a close as Jesus Christ returns to earth). "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." Hebrews 9:27.
There are two, and only two ways a person rises from the dead: to eternal life or to face eternal condemnation. "This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them..." Here is the disposition of all who participate in that "second death", that eternal condemnation, "The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."
The burning (pun intended) issue, then, is how is one's name written in the book of life? Going back to what Jesus said in John 5:24, "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." Any one of us can rise from our physical deaths to eternal life. However, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that only those who believe in the Lord, who have embraced the Lord in faith, who have placed their confidence and trust in him in this life will have their names written in the book of life and rise to eternal life!
There is no reincarnation, there are no "recycles" through life to better ourselves, there is no purgatory, there is no "soul sleep", there is nothing following our deaths other than what the Lord taught us when he was here. All of these other thoughts and concepts are fantasies without any support whatsoever in the Scriptures.
What he taught us while here is there is a place of torment for those who have not embraced the Lord in faith where people immediately go when they suffer their physical deaths. See the account of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Following the end of this age, when the Lord returns, all who are in this place of torment will be raised to be condemned in the Lord's court and cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, see Revelation 21:8.
Those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith in this life will immediately be brought into the Lord's presence in heaven when they suffer their physical deaths. In the account in Luke we read of paradise where Abraham remained until Jesus' ascension into heaven. When he ascended, he emptied out paradise and took all there to heaven. (Those who were in the place of torment remain there still, till they are raised for judgment. This is where all go who have not embraced the Lord in faith.) It is from this disembodied presence in heaven that all will be raised with renewed bodies to eternal life.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:1-4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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