Christian Living
2 Corinthians 5:8-9: We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
There have been times throughout the years when the concept of what happens after we die has completely boggled my mind. As a Christian, I totally comprehend the fact that all of us who are saved in Christ and living in His light will ascend into Heaven. However, my lack of knowledge and understanding dealt more with the timing of it all. For instances, I had uncertainty as to if we immediately ascended into Heaven; or if we remained asleep in our bodies until the final judgment day. I finally decided to thoroughly research this subject matter; which entailed internet studies, listening to Bible scholars and various pastors, as well as consulting with a couple of acquaintances that are more Biblically inclined than me. As a result of my research and consultations, my ultimate curiosity still had not been entirely satisfied; until one day I stumbled across a Bible scripture that I had read countless times before. But this time through prayer and divine intervention of the Holy Spirit, this familiar passage revealed great discernment pertaining to the circumstances which occur for Christians after death.
John 11: 23-25: Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' 24 Martha answered, 'I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' 25 Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.'
New revelations surrounding life after death rang clear and true within the depths of my mind, spirit and soul. A passage that I read time after time unveiled the answer to a question that had plagued me for years. I was getting caught up in the literal meaning when it came to the Word of God, but in actuality; for the most part, Jesus spoke in parables. For instance, in the above scripture when Christ tells His disciples whoever believes that Jesus is the resurrection and life will never die; does not mean that we will physically never die because obviously life in the body is temporary. I believe it means that after our fleshly bodies die, our spiritual beings will immediately ascend into Heaven; as depicted in the following scripture where Jesus spoke to the repentant criminal who hung side by side on the Cross next to Him:
Luke 23:43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, Today you shall be with me in paradise.
In the following scripture, Jesus states that obedient and faithful believers will not be subjected to the final judgment day, but that He gives His children the authority to pass directly from death into eternal life with Him:
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.
On the flip side, as far as the nonbelievers (unsaved) are concerned, the Bible also details what will become of them at the final hour of death and judgment. God warns us that we are not to fear what mere man can do to our bodies; as man does not hold the power to harm our souls; but instead He teaches that we should fear the one and only true living God with infinite power to destroy both body and soul. Therefore, our focus should not be on the sins of this world by allowing ourselves to be misled by evildoers; but rather we should all strive to live obedient lives in Christ Jesus; so that His eternal purpose could be fulfilled through us.
Matthew 10:28: And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
All corrupt and disobedient people who demonstrate a lack of moral conscience as well as blatant disrespect of Christ will not escape the dire consequences of their actions against our Heavenly Father God. The Bible clearly defines Hell as a place of eternal torment for the lost who lacks a repentant heart; but rather who take pleasure in indulging their wicked appetites of secular living. Even though God offers salvation from death to life to all; those who reject the ultimate sacrifice of Christ through the Holy Spirit will be executed and thrown into the fiery pits of Hell.
Revelation 21:8: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars; they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9: He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.
If we wholeheartedly continue to read the Word of God, we will begin to absorb every aspect of its divine truth; and all answers to the many difficult questions will be revealed to us accordingly. After acquiring the necessary wisdom and divine knowledge for living in righteousness, it will be up to each and every one of us to utilize our God given free will to determine which eternal dwelling shall await our destiny. God gives us all the necessary tools along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us decide; I choose eternal life with Christ by standing firmly on His everlasting Word and on the Gospel which His disciple, Paul so eloquently wrote in the following scriptures:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Our spirits will live on long after our bodies succumb to an inevitable earthly death, but it is our choice as to whether or not we decide to study and learn or to blaspheme and burn. I hope and pray that each of you will choose everlasting life with Christ and that you are willing to live according to His unending truth which will qualify eternal dwelling in Heavenly mansions. Peace, joy, mercy and love with God; Blessings.
John 14:2: In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
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