Does It Really Matter What You Believe?

The simple answer to this question is, yes it does.  To clarify the answer, it matters if you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and receive the gift of immortality and salvation to eternal life.  Immortality and salvation is a gift from God, given to us freely.  We cannot earn it.  But, there is one important thing that people forget.  God does not force us to take this gift.  We can accept the gift or we can refuse the gift.  If you do not care about this gift, then the answer to the question is that it really doesn’t matter what you believe.  You can believe whatever your heart desires.

                Using the Bible as a basis for this discussion, it tells us that that those who want to know and have a relationship with God should hold on to beliefs that are based on His laws and not compromise.  “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4, emphasis added).

                Why should what we believe be important to us?  It is because what we do in life and what decisions we make are ultimately based in a large part on what we believe.  If our decisions are based on God's laws, then we can resist the pressures to conform to the standards and values the world imposes on us. We can live in the world, yet not take part in its sins. We can avoid the breaking of God's laws that so often takes place in society.

                “But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, KJV).  Jesus is saying that what we believe, and ultimately what we do is determined by what we think.  What we think should come from the words that “proceed out of God’s mouth”.

                There is a thought process that supports the idea that there is no absolute truth when believing in Jesus Christ, thus, the act of believing is all there is.  The theory is that "there is no objective standard by which truth may be determined, so that truth varies with individuals and circumstances" (David Elton Trueblood, Philosophy of Religion, p. 348).

                So, does it really matter what we believe?  The idea of finding the truth or real meaning to life escapes some people’s minds.  People spend their lives developing their idea of truth.  It does not matter if you are sixteen years old or sixty years old.  Up until that point in time you have spent 100% of your life developing your idea of truth and put up walls resisting any thought that would change that idea.  As you get older, most people spend what they feel is a lot of time, energy, and, (for some), money in formulating their thoughts and ideas on truth and it is only natural to defend what you developed over the years.

                People have always valued their act of belief more than the object of their belief.  William James lived from January 11, 1842 until August 26, 1910 and was an American philosopher and psychologist who was also trained as a physician. He was the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States.  He stated, "Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact”.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ William James”).

                Is this statement true, especially when we are discussing Biblical truths?  The belief in something will not make it true.  You can believe that an object is something that it is not.  You can believe it with all your heart and soul, but that will not make your belief fact, outside of your own mind.

                The truth of a belief is determined by all of the facts supporting that belief or disproving that belief.  The only alternative to this is closing your mind to ideas that are new to you and this could ultimately lead to your eternal destruction.

                Belief is not determined by the strength of one’s faith.  There are many who get seriously injured and/or die every year because of their faith in something.  Teenagers are prime examples of the support for this idea.  They develop a belief or an idea to do something.  Their parents, because of their experiences in life, tell them it is wrong and could get them in trouble or in some cases injured, or even killed.  Teens commonly think they know everything and therefore what they believe overrides any warnings or threats that their parents give them.  When things go horribly wrong, which they usually do, the teenagers and, or friends and family in the case of a death, now try to answer the question, “Why?”.

                The Bible also emphasizes the fact that it is vital what one believes.  Jesus says that we “... are from beneath” but He is “...from above: (we) are of this world; (but He is) not of this world.” (John 8:23, KJV).  Jesus went on to say, “I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.” (John 8:26, KJV).

                Jesus said in chapter three of the gospel of John that “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36, KJV).  Most Bible translations interpret the first half of the verse and the second half of the verse to mean the same thing, but they do not.

                In the first part of the verse, the phrase “He that believeth” deals strictly with “belief” alone.  It means “to think, to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit or to place confidence in” something.  The phrase in the second part of the scripture comes from a different Greek word which carries the meaning of refusing belief and obedience and not to complying with something.  That is, not obeying and complying with everything that Jesus testified to.  A person is not allowed to pick and choose what they want to or do not want to believe.

                The scriptures do not place the weight on the act of belief.  It places it on the object of the belief.  It is not your act of faith but who and what your faith is based on.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, NLT).

                “People today believe whatever they wish to believe, but this will lead to their ultimate destruction. Let's look at an example from biblical history. One of the darkest periods in the history of Israel occurred in the time of the kings. During this time, there was a contest between the Lord God and Baal, a highly regarded cult deity. An altar of wood was built, with pieces of an oxen laid upon it as a sacrifice. The god who answered by fire and consumed the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true god in Israel. Baal went first.

                If anyone could start a fire from the sky, it was Baal – the great nature god who controlled the weather (i.e., rain, thunderstorms, lightning). The priests of Baal paraded around the altar all morning and until late afternoon, beseeching Baal to respond. These false priests jumped all over the altar, cut themselves with swords, danced into a frenzy, raved and pleaded all day. No one can say they were not sincere, or did not believe. Yet, nothing happened.

                After they were finished and the altar was rebuilt, the Lord God answered with fire from heaven and consumed the altar and sacrifice. The false prophets of Baal were then slain.

                If sincerity and belief saved, then these prophets should have been spared. But sincerity and belief are not enough. These prophets had their trust in the wrong object. They had never chosen to investigate the truth. (emphasis added).  God requires man to put his faith in Jesus Christ; nothing less will satisfy either them or Him.” (http://www.bethinking.org/is-christianity-the-only-way/q-does-it-really-matter-what-i-believe).

                There are many people who go to their deaths believing something that had overwhelming facts that go against that belief.  History is full of people who died needlessly because of this.  The reason this is brought up here is because of the topic of this article concerning Biblical truths. 

                This statement is a two edged sword.  All but one of the apostles were put to death because of what they believed.  In the context of this discussion then, it matters which edge of the sword you are cutting with.  Are you cutting with the edge of the sword based largely on what comes out of the mouths of men?  I am talking about beliefs taken out context and not supported by other scriptures, or are disproved by other scriptures in the Bible.  Or; do you base your beliefs on what comes out of the mouth of God?  The word of God is the Bible, plain and simple.  The facts that you base your beliefs on need to be supported by “every word of God”, every word found in the Bible.  Your belief when it comes to God can be based on no more nor no less.

A LOOK AT LIFE AFTER DEATH.

Read the two following passages:

"So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.  For we walk by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."  (2 Corinthians 5:6‑8)

and

"I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; (Philippians 1:23)

Compare those passages with the following:

 

But man dies and is laid away;

Indeed, he breathes his last

And where is he?

 

As water disappears from the seas

And a river becomes parched and dries up,

So man lies down and does not rise.

 

Till the heavens are no more,

They will not awake

Nor be roused from their sleep.

 

"Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,

That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,

That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!

If a man dies, shall he live again?

 

All the days of my hard service I will wait,

Till my change comes.

You shall call, and I will answer You;

You shall desire the work of Your hands.  (Job 14:10‑15)

Job, the writer of the second passage, was lamenting his life and basically wishing that God would let him die.  Job knew that in death he would be unconscious and would not feel any of the pain he was feeling in his present life.  This passage is interesting because it doesn't say anything about Job going to heaven or to the hell.

 

Job, through the inspiration of God, was talking about what happens when a person dies.  In fact, the passage tells us that Job knew about a future resurrection.  Job clearly says that a ". . . man dies and is laid away . . . he breathes his last . . . As the water disappears from the sea, And the river becomes parched and dries up, so man lies down and does not rise."  Job goes on to tell us that it will be at the resurrection when he, along with others ". . . would be roused from their sleep."  Job asks God to ". . . hide [him] in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past . . .".  Job wanted God to hide him in the grave or, "sheol" as the ancient Hebrews called it.  Job is simply asking God to let him die and that God ". . . would appoint . . . [him] . . . a set time . . ." when Job would be resurrected from his grave.   ". . . You shall call, and I will answer you . . .".  


Job knew that his resurrection would be sometime in the future.  Job knew that when he died, "As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up."  [Job 7:9].  He likens his death to a cloud that ". . . disappears and vanishes away . . .", just as man does when he dies and goes to the grave, he is no more.  When man dies he is not off someplace else, he very simply just ". . .. disappears and vanishes away. . .". 

Job likens death to sleep.  He says “. . .  man dies and is laid away . . . (t)hey will not awake(n) or be roused from their sleep.”  When a person is asleep they are not aware of anything around them. 

 

This passage is an indication of man’s state of being after he dies.

 

 



What Will Heaven Be Like?

 

                There will come a time when we who are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  When this happens, a paranormal event will occur.  It will be a supernatural event where our bodies will be transformed from mortal physical bodies into glorified spiritual bodies.  We will have ghostlike attributes with all the power associated with the spirit world.  We will be transformed and when this happens we will be under the protection of the Lord forever.

                When we are finally in heaven, in the paradise Jesus referred to while hanging from the cross, the Bible promises that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there won’t be any more death.  Pain and sorrow will be a thing of the past so there will be no more crying. The pain we feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually will be gone forever because the Bible says that former things will have passed away.

                The cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will be put to death and God’s preferred method of execution is the use of fire.  The wicked will be gone forever because they will be burned up into ashes in God’s ‘Lake of Fire”.

                God’s eternal city will be the seat of the “Kingdom of the World” present on the earth at that time.  It will have a great, high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels will be posted at each gate.  On the gates will be written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel as a reminder to all who remain of how God does keep His promise to all people.  The wall of the city will have twelve foundations, and on them will be the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  This will signify to everyone exactly what God’s government is now and will be based on. 

                No one will enter the city that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie.  This will include the likes of a lot of people on the earth today.  Only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be allowed to enter this Holy city.  There shall be no more curse, the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in this city, and His servants will serve Him, ruling the entire earth from there.

[1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:35-39; Philippians 3:21; Revelation 21:3,4,12,14; Revelation 22:3,5; John 14:2-3 ]

 

 

 

 

Proof Of The Paranormal.

 

The next time any human being sees Jesus Christ is when He comes back for His church.  Dead Christians will be resurrected into immortality and the Christians who are still alive at that time Jesus returns will be changed from mortal human beings into immortal human beings.  It is then that people will rise up into the air with Jesus and go into “heaven” and prepare to return with Him and set up an earthly Kingdom.   

"Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.

"He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.

"And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:  KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  (Revelation 19:11-16)

As Christians, we are supposed to be preparing ourselves for Jesus to come back for us and take us to heaven where He will prepare us to help Him set up the kingdom that He will rule, on earth.  We are supposed to be developing our God given talents so that we can use these talents during the millennial reign of Jesus.  We are not developing these talents for the world today, although that does not mean if you are developing them now you will not enjoy a better life now.

There is a time in the future when Jesus will come for human beings who have prepared for Him.  These human beings will be used during a time period that expands a thousand years.  Jesus will need these people to help run the world Government.  These people will be the spiritual beings who now fully know and understand what happens when you turn your back on God the creator of the universe. 

These, immortal spiritual human beings, beings similar to what a lot of people today call “ghosts.   These people will be similar to how Jesus interacted with the people after He was resurrected, before He ascended into heaven.   

How you learn the ways of the Lord and live our life now will determine your reward when Jesus returns.  Your reward will be your status and position in the Kingdom of God.  It will determine where you will fit in the Government of God. 

When will this happen?

"But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”  Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.  And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.  But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

 

"All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men....  The body is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.  It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.”  The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

 

"However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.   And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

 

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I tell 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 trumpet.

"For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”  (1 Corinthians 15: 35-54).

"It should be comforting to all people, especially people interested in spirits and ghost, that what they are searching for is actually documented in the Bible.  Jesus Christ is coming back and he will turn all who are prepared for His return into spiritual human beings with all the power associated to these beings.

 

"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will 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."  (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

 

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour[a] your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  (Matthew 24:42-44)

Our Lord Jesus Christ taught that He might come back at any time, suddenly, imminently, without any notice or signs. The most important characteristic of Christ's return is that it could happen without warning, suddenly, catching us off guard if we're not faithfully doing what we need to do to prepare.

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

"Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”  (Mark 13:32-37).

"The Lord told us TO WATCH, because He might come back at any time, suddenly.

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:42-44).

We need to be prepared.

 

 

 

 

 

PARANORMAL, IMMORTALITY, SPIRITS, GHOSTS, SUPERNATURAL

 

 



GOD’S FINALE JUDGEMENT OF THE WICKED.

 

1Thessalonians 1:9 says that “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might”.  What is Paul’s message here?

The Bible records, see Acts 16 and 17, that Paul did not have a good experience when he visited Thessalonica.  Paul was beaten illegally and then put into prison.  They then forced him to leave the city by night because unbelieving Jews brought false charges against Paul. 

Paul did not give up, he made several attempt to return but he was hindered by Satan.

“But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, for a short time (in presence, not in affection) we became all the more fervent in our great desire to see you in person. For we wanted to come to you (I, Paul, in fact tried again and again) but Satan thwarted us” (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18).

In this first letter to the Thessalonian Church Paul was concerned about the progress of the church and wanted to be with them to strengthen them in their faith and beliefs.

“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

He wanted to reassure the Church that they were chosen by God.  He did not want the Thessalonians to give up.  He wanted them to look to their faith so that they could endure the persecution that was sure to come.  Paul knew that the people who persecuted them were wicked and would get their just due, but this was not the message he had for them here. 

Paul was using God’s authentication and empowering of the gospel message when he wrote this letter.  He said that because of their “…perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials…” that they were enduring, it was proof that God chose them. (1 Thessalonians 1:4).  Because of this fact he was encouraging them to continue to endure these persecutions.

For this message to have power it is important to understand that the gospel that Paul preached were not his words, but the words came from God through the Holy Spirit and he constantly used this fact to authenticate and empower his words.  The church in Corinth he wrote:

“God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him?  So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God.  And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.  The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one.  For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).

Paul’s message was always that Jesus Christ made the promises to all those who follow Him that when the Holy Spirit came, He would empower the messengers so that others would believe and be saved to eternal life.  This is what this passage is based on.  It is an encouragement to all saints down through the last almost two thousand years that in difficult days of adversity and persecution, God’s word can serve to encourage us as the dark clouds of persecution gather for Christians around the world. This power of God will sustain believers when persecuted in the end times.

The message of Eternal destruction, is an important message based on the fact that it is mentioned throughout the Old and the New Testaments.  The problem is that the phrase “eternal destruction” is misunderstood by many.  More importantly, it is not the message we need to be taking away from this Biblical passage.  If this is done, the true message is hidden, which is what Satan wants to happen. 

Because it is mentioned here, it is important to have a basic scriptural knowledge of what the phrase means.  There is a very simple answer when trying to describe what eternal destruction means, if you take each word individually.  Eternal means, “Continuing without interruption; perpetual”, (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eternal ), forever, it will never change.

Destruction means “to cause (something) to end or no longer exist, to cause the destruction of (something), to damage (something) so badly that it cannot be repaired. (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destroy ).  When a human being meets “eternal destruction” as described in 1 Thessalonians 1:9, it means that that person will be damaged so badly, that he or she will no longer exist.  That that person cannot be repaired.  The existence of that person will come to an end.

The prophet Malachi explains it clearly:

““Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”” (Malachi 4:1).

The non-believers and the wicked will be burned to ashes to such an extent that there will be nothing left.  There will be no “root” or “branch left”.  When this happens there is no way that that person can exist, period.

CHRISTIAN LIVING FOR GOD - TODAY AND BEYOND.

ETERNAL LIFE IS IMPARTED AT THE LAST TRUMPET.

In John 5:24 Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

When it comes to being alive or dead, Jesus places people in two categories.  Jesus identifies these two groups of people in the above verse.  The difference between these two groups is that those who are spiritually alive have heard Jesus’ words and believed in the One who sent Him, whereas the latter do not and are spiritually dead.  To understand the verse, it must be understood that Jesus is talking about a person spiritually.

Notice that “death” is put before “life” in this verse.  This is not a coincidence.  Since Adam and Eve, all humans have been born spiritually dead.  Physically man is alive at birth and continues to be “physically alive” until he dies.  At that point, according to the Bible, he no longer exists in any form. (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).  Jesus is making the claim here that at “judgement” he can “impart eternal life” to those who believe in Him.

Jesus goes on (5:25-26) to state that He has the power to impart eternal life.  In (5:27-30) Jesus claims that in the future He will raise from the dead everyone who has ever lived and at that time will judge them for all eternity. This claim that Jesus is making about eternal life must be understood in the context of God’s plan of redemption as outlined throughout the Old and the New Testaments.

The Bible tells us that God gave us physical life and also that we all will eventually die.  This situation came about by the actions of our first parents, Adam and Eve.  God made available for them the gift of eternal life that is represented by the tree of life in Genesis 2:9.  The tree represented God’s way of life which was total obedience to God’s revealed will. 

The garden also had another tree which was the called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The tree represented man deciding for himself what was right and what was wrong.  They rejected the total obedience to God’s will in favor of choosing to follow their own will.  If they would not have done this, they would have received eternal life (Genesis 2:17).  God told them their fate, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

The good news is that God, from the beginning, had a plan, and the offer of eternal life still stands.  Through the rest of the Bible, God unfolds this plan for us.  We are rescued from death by the blood of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul explains how and when we will receive eternal life when he explains, “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.  When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Paul clearly tells us that this will happen when Christ returns to earth.  “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

This is when all Christians meet with Jesus, receive our immortal glorified bodies and return to heaven with Jesus to live eternally.

 

CHRISTIAN LIVING FOR GOD - TODAY AND BEYOND

THE IMMORTALITY OF MANKIND, MATTHEW 25:46.

 

There are many Bible verses that are taken out of the context of the passage they are found in to support various Christian doctrines.  In order to understand passages, the entire passage needs to be read, and then it has to be related to the time period that the passage is referring to.  We then need to be sure that our interpretation can be verified and not denied by other passages in the Bible.  

Matthew 25:46 is one of these passages.  It reads, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”  Several questions immediately come to mind.  What time period is this talking about?  Who are “they”?  What is meant when is says that the righteous will “go away…to eternal life”? 

The chapter Matthew 25 is describing the future judgment of the “nations”.  This judgment will take place immediately after the second coming of Jesus Christ.  During this time period there will be mortal human beings, on earth, who survived the tribulation.  Christ is on the earth. 

There will be people living on the earth at this time who started believing in Christ during the tribulation during the tribulation period.  There will be other people who still do not believe.  These two groups of people are represented by the sheep, (the ones who believe in Christ), and the goats, (the ones who do not).  The people will be judged on how they treated each other during the tribulation period.  (Matthew 25:37-45).

There will also be a group of people on the earth who will be resurrected at that time.  These are people who died during the tribulation period believing in Christ.  Revelation 20:5-6 says “This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”  Revelation 20:5-6 is referring to Matthew 25:46.

Revelation 20:5-6 indicates that before these people were judged at this point in time, they were subject to “The second death…” (Revelation 20:6).  If that is the case, these human beings are not yet immortal because they can die.  It is here that the righteous people, those who survived the tribulation and those who were just resurrected, are judged and receive eternal life, immortality. 

Matthew 25:46 confirms this where it states clearly that, “Then they will go away…the righteous to eternal life.” (emphasis added).

 

CHRISTIAN LIVING FOR GOD - TODAY AND BEYOND.