Life after Death

THE JUDGEMENT TO COME

On one occasion while Jesus was visiting Jerusalem during a feast of the Jews He spoke these sobering words to the people in attendance,

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. (John 5:25 -29)

The Apostle Paul traveled extensively throughout the Roman Empire preaching the Gospel to Jew and Gentile alike. While in Athens he was invited to speak in the Areopagus and in part of his address to the men there Paul said these words,

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

When Paul wrote his second letter to the new believers living in Thessalonica he explained more about the coming judgement awaiting those who do not obey the Gospel,

…the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)

The purpose of the judgement to come will be to determine who will continue to live on with God in His kingdom. Those who pass this judgement will enjoy eternal life with God and others who have done God’s will. Those who fail this judgement will be separated from God and His kingdom and continue on under punishment. We learn more about God’s kingdom and the judgement to come from the Apostle John who wrote this in the book of Revelation,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:1-8)

John explains that there will be a new heaven and earth free of suffering and pain where God’s people will enjoy fellowship with Him forever. He also states that the unbelieving with be consigned to the “Lake of Fire” referred to as the second death. So in the end there will ultimately only be two groups of people, those who are saved and those who are lost. In light of this the critical question to know the answer to is: “What must I do to be saved?”. The Bible answers that question for us very clearly.

First, it is vital to understand that everyone needs to be saved from sin and it’s consequences, and that God in His love has made provision for us in that regard. He has sent Jesus into this world to die for our sins so we can be forgiven and saved – that is the Gospel message. Second, one needs to understand how to lay hold of that forgiveness by believing the Gospel message and personally receiving Jesus into their lives as Savior and Lord.

We have explained both the Gospel message and how to receive it on the home page under the topics “God’s Love” and “God’s will”. We urge you to take the time to read through both of those topics giving them careful consideration. You can go directly to those two pages by clicking this link: “God’s Love”. If you have any questions please send them to us via the “Contact Us” link found in the menu at the top right corner of every page.

On this page we have answered the third of the three “Big Questions of Life”. If you would like to consider the first big question, “Is there a God in heaven who knows and loves each one of us?”, please continue on to the next page. May God bless you as you continue to seek Him.