Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
The Truth of the After Life
The world has a lot of different beliefs about the afterlife. Even people of the same religions often don't know what their religion actually believes. Through my studies, I have absolutely no doubt that Christianity is in fact the one true religion of God. The problem is there are so many different denominations and so often many of them seem to have it wrong.
This is the absolute truth of the afterlife according to what the Bible actually says.
Before Jesus died on the cross, there was nobody in heaven. Jesus was the only one who had ever been to heaven. Not Moses, not Abraham and not even Elijah whom so many were taught was taken to heaven without dying. We know this due to what Jesus Himself says...
John 3:13 (NASB)
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
This also happens to be the most common verse used by those who say that nobody is in heaven yet, but they are mistaken. Jesus spoke the truth, but they are wrong to use the verse as evidence of nobody being in heaven yet. Why? Because when Jesus said those words, he had not been crucified yet.
Before Jesus died on the cross, those words were accurate. Nobody had been to heaven because everyone had sinned in their life. Everyone was born into this physical world with the stain of sin on them. But when Jesus died on the cross, he descended to Sheol and fought Satan and took the keys to death and Hades. He had victory over death and rose from the dead. After revealing Himself to his disciples among many others on earth, he ascended to heaven. From then on, anyone who believes on Him is washed clean of that stain and can enter heaven.
Luke 23:39-43
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Many believe Jesus was speaking of Heaven when he said Paradise, but he wasnt. At that time, Paradise was not in heaven. How do we know? Because Jesus did not ascend to heaven until after he rose from the dead on the third day. We know this by what He says to Mary when She sees Him risen..
John 20:17 (NASB)
17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
So if Jesus had not yet risen to Heaven, then He obviously didnt just come back from heaven. So where did He go when He died? He went to Sheol (Hades). Now just to be clear, there are many who say He went to hell. Unfortunately this comes from a confusion that is created by the KJV Bible translating verses for both, Sheol and for the Lake of Fire as Hell. You can read about that here... Sheol, Hades, Hell and the Lake of Fire. Because of the confusion, I will not use the word Hell in this article. I will refer to them as Sheol or the Lake of Fire.
Jesus went to Sheol. Sheol is a place that has different sections to it. Some are better than others. One particular section we do know the name of. It was Paradise. This is where the Godly souls went to reside. So when Jesus told the thief that he would be with Him in Paradise before the sun has set, He was speaking truth. When they died, they went to Paradise which was in Sheol. However when Jesus rose from the dead and then ascended to the father, He liberated Paradise from Sheol and moved it to heaven.
Ephesians 4:8 (NASB)
Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.”
From that day on, anyone who dies and is a true believer in their heart, goes to heaven. Now some will wish to argue that they need to be baptized first or that we are saved by works too. For those, I will ask you to read this article... How We are Saved: The Truth of God's Word
Every believer goes to heaven. Every unbeliever still goes to Sheol where they will await the day of Judgment before the White Throne. However, currently, those who are in heaven are only there in spirit. Their souls are there but their bodies are not. We know this by what happens in the rapture.
The Rapture
The rapture, in case you are not aware, is an event in the end times where Jesus comes in the clouds and calls all of His true believers into the clouds to be with Him. Every true believer in the world will disappear. There is a great confusion in Christianity over when the rapture happens. Some say it is before the 7 year Tribulation. Others say during it and yet others say it happens after the tribulation at the same time as the Second Coming. The only one of these that I can say is absolutely wrong, is the post-tribulation belief. The Bible makes it very clear that it is impossible for the rapture and the Second coming to be at the same time for different reasons. You can learn more about that here... Rapture vs Second Coming
The rapture, to the best I have figured out so far, can possibly happen any time from as you are reading this, to around 5 years into the tribulation. I have always favored that it would happen before the tribulation begins, but more and more I am starting to lean toward it happening somewhere near the middle of the tribulation.
As for what happens in the rapture...
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NASB)
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
When Jesus does return for us, He will bring with Him the souls of those who had died and gone to heaven. With a shout, He will raise up their bodies, made new and imperishable and their souls will be reunited with them. Then we who are still alive will be changed from perishable to imperishable, and we will all be snatched up to Him in the clouds to be with Him forever. He will take us back to heaven at this time.
Now this next part is only my speculation. The Bible only hints to it once but does not go into it in detail. But knowing that the Rapture is indeed before the Second Coming, it is only logical that after the rapture happens, there will be many who will recognize what just happened. There will be many Christians who have been taught but never truly believed Jesus was the Son of God who will know what happened. There will be many atheists who have studied the Bible in order to debate with Christians who will know what happened. Many of these who recognize the rapture happened, will suddenly be very true believers. They will know it was all real and they had missed the rapture. They will congregate to the churches and fill the pews. They will study the Bible even harder and many will become the new pastors.
The first moments after the rapture happens, the world will be completely devoid of any true believers. Then as the shock wears off, their will be a new flock of believers to take our place. The biggest difference will be that they will not have the rapture to look forward to. They will need to keep their faith and endure through the worst years this world has ever seen.
The Marriage of the Lamb!
Revelation 19:7-8 (NASB)
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
After we are in heaven in our imperishable bodies, we (His church, His bride) will be wed to Him. Please take note in verse 8, that we will be given to clothe ourselves in fine linen, bright and clean. This will come into play in the next part.
The Second Coming and Armageddon!
After the tribulation is over and after God's wrath has been poured out over the world, Jesus will return. The world will be at war and I believe strongly, for the Bible very much eludes to it, the world will have been through a nuclear war by this time. Jesus will descend from heaven. This time it will not be the souls of the believers who died who will follow Him back. It will be His bride. His entire army of true believers in heaven, following Him on white horses.
Revelation 19:11-14 (NASB)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
In verse 14, we find that the armies are clothed in fine linen, white and clean. These are the same ones who were just married to the Lamb. These are all of the true believers who were raptured. We will follow Him back on white horses in the Second Coming.
You may be wondering what happens with those who turned to Christ after the rapture?
Matthew 24:29-31 (NASB)
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Unlike with the rapture where there is no signs to accompany it and nobody is mentioned to see Jesus other than those who are raptured, in the Second Coming there will be great signs. The Sun will be darkened and the moon will not reflect its light. Stars will fall from the sky and the heavens will be shaken. Jesus will descend from heaven and everyone will see Him coming.
In verse 31 it says Jesus will send forth His angels to gather His elect from all over the world. It never says they are taken up into the clouds to be with Jesus like the rapture verses. That is because they are gathered to Armageddon where Jesus is going. They are not given their imperishable bodies yet either.
The antichrist and his false prophet will be seized and thrown alive into the Lake of Fire. Jesus will destroy the armies and the kings at Armageddon with nothing more than words, and the birds will fill themselves on the flesh of the dead...
Revelation 19:20-21 (NASB)
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Another point to be made here is the beginning of verse 21. "And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse." Who exactly are the rest? For a long time I used to believe this was the armies of the beast. In studying this further, I realize this more than likely includes every single unbeliever in the world. For the believers who survived the tribulation were already gathered by the angels and brought to Armageddon. So the rest of the world would then be unbelievers.
After the unbelievers are all killed and sent to Sheol, the only ones who will be alive are the believers. Most will have their imperishable bodies but those who survived the tribulation will still be in the perishable flesh. One other will still be alive. The devil himself.
Revelation 20:1-3 (NASB)
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
The Thousand Years of Peace!
The thousand years that Satan is bound in the abyss, will be a thousand years of peace when Jesus will reign. The Lord and those in imperishable bodies will be given the great city. Those with perishable bodies will live outside the city and for a thousand years there will be peace. A good look at what this time will be like is found in Isaiah 65, starting at verse 19. It tells us that a child who dies at the age of one hundred will be thought to be cursed. The people will live the years of a tree. The animals of prey will graze like the ox and sheep.
However, those who saw the Lord's return will pass away and as the thousand years continues it will all be just stories to them. They will repopulate the land and when the thousand years are up, Satan will be let loose.
Revelations 20:7-10 (NASB)
7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Satan will deceive the people and turn them against the Saints and the beloved City as one great army. However no battle will happen as they will be destroyed by fires from heaven. Then the devil will be caught and thrown into the Lake of Fire.
The White Throne of Judgment!
After the thousand years of peace are finished. We are all removed from the earth. The second Resurrection happens and every unbeliever in Sheol is brought back to life to stand before the White Throne.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Every unbeliever will first be judged by the deeds of their lives. Both good and bad. Then the Book of Life (note the uppercase B and L) This is not the same book as has their deeds in them. It is a different book. This one only has names in it. Any name found in the Book of Life is given life with God. Those whose names are not found in this book will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Since all of the Believers are already given imperishable bodies by this time, none of those who stand before the White Throne will find their names in the Book of Life. They will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
One might ask, why were they even judged by their deeds then? The answer is because not everyone will have the same level of suffering in the Lake of Fire. Those who were good people but just never believed Jesus was the Son of God will suffer, but those who were evil and did evil things will suffer far worse.
Salvation!
The truth is, salvation is not based on works of any kind. Not good deeds, not water baptism and not asking God to forgive us for our sins. The sinner's prayer does not save you. Salvation is through believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He rose from the dead. If you believe this in your heart, you will be saved. If you do not, then you will be cast in the Lake of Fire. If you do not agree with this, please read this article... How We are Saved: The Truth of God's Word
If you do not know if you truly believe or not, I would suggest you return to OneGodLogic and scan through the articles. There are articles on the evidence of God, there are articles on faith and salvation. Only you know what questions you need answered and there is likely an article addressing it by now. IF there is not and you have questions you want answered, feel free to email me at [email protected]
The Afterlife!
The world tends to think of heaven as a place of clouds where we fly around playing the harp and praising God all day long. Sadly, even most Christians seem to have this image in their heads. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact the first thing to point out is that we wont even spend eternity in heaven.
Revelation 21:1-2 (NASB)
1 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. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
God destroys the earth we live on now. Many try to teach that it isnt a new earth but it is the same earth made new. Its not! Our bodies when we are changed from perishable to imperishable are the same bodies that are made new and better, but when it comes to the earth, it clearly says the old one passes away. Plus the New Jerusalem is going to be 1,500 miles across in both directions as well as 1,500 miles high. The highest point on earth today is the peak of Mt. Everest at approximately 5.5 miles above sea level. If God placed the New Jerusalem on this Earth, It would fill up a good portion of the United States. Many Christians think of the New Jerusalem as being pyramid shaped.
Here are a few images to give you a better understanding of how large the New Jerusalem will be. In the first image, the red square would represent the size of the New Jerusalem compared to the United States. In the next image is how big it would be on the earth if it was a pyramid shape. Obviously a city that size would throw the earth's rotation off. The sheer weight alone would cause problems. In the third image, you get an image of how much bigger the earth would have to be for the new Jerusalem to not cause problems for the rotation of the earth. To be clear, this last image is only my own personal estimation and I am not physicist. In all likelihood, the earth might need to be much bigger. So as you can easily see, the new earth will be just that. A new earth. Not this earth refurbished.
This is the absolute truth of the afterlife according to what the Bible actually says.
Before Jesus died on the cross, there was nobody in heaven. Jesus was the only one who had ever been to heaven. Not Moses, not Abraham and not even Elijah whom so many were taught was taken to heaven without dying. We know this due to what Jesus Himself says...
John 3:13 (NASB)
13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
This also happens to be the most common verse used by those who say that nobody is in heaven yet, but they are mistaken. Jesus spoke the truth, but they are wrong to use the verse as evidence of nobody being in heaven yet. Why? Because when Jesus said those words, he had not been crucified yet.
Before Jesus died on the cross, those words were accurate. Nobody had been to heaven because everyone had sinned in their life. Everyone was born into this physical world with the stain of sin on them. But when Jesus died on the cross, he descended to Sheol and fought Satan and took the keys to death and Hades. He had victory over death and rose from the dead. After revealing Himself to his disciples among many others on earth, he ascended to heaven. From then on, anyone who believes on Him is washed clean of that stain and can enter heaven.
Luke 23:39-43
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Many believe Jesus was speaking of Heaven when he said Paradise, but he wasnt. At that time, Paradise was not in heaven. How do we know? Because Jesus did not ascend to heaven until after he rose from the dead on the third day. We know this by what He says to Mary when She sees Him risen..
John 20:17 (NASB)
17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
So if Jesus had not yet risen to Heaven, then He obviously didnt just come back from heaven. So where did He go when He died? He went to Sheol (Hades). Now just to be clear, there are many who say He went to hell. Unfortunately this comes from a confusion that is created by the KJV Bible translating verses for both, Sheol and for the Lake of Fire as Hell. You can read about that here... Sheol, Hades, Hell and the Lake of Fire. Because of the confusion, I will not use the word Hell in this article. I will refer to them as Sheol or the Lake of Fire.
Jesus went to Sheol. Sheol is a place that has different sections to it. Some are better than others. One particular section we do know the name of. It was Paradise. This is where the Godly souls went to reside. So when Jesus told the thief that he would be with Him in Paradise before the sun has set, He was speaking truth. When they died, they went to Paradise which was in Sheol. However when Jesus rose from the dead and then ascended to the father, He liberated Paradise from Sheol and moved it to heaven.
Ephesians 4:8 (NASB)
Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.”
From that day on, anyone who dies and is a true believer in their heart, goes to heaven. Now some will wish to argue that they need to be baptized first or that we are saved by works too. For those, I will ask you to read this article... How We are Saved: The Truth of God's Word
Every believer goes to heaven. Every unbeliever still goes to Sheol where they will await the day of Judgment before the White Throne. However, currently, those who are in heaven are only there in spirit. Their souls are there but their bodies are not. We know this by what happens in the rapture.
The Rapture
The rapture, in case you are not aware, is an event in the end times where Jesus comes in the clouds and calls all of His true believers into the clouds to be with Him. Every true believer in the world will disappear. There is a great confusion in Christianity over when the rapture happens. Some say it is before the 7 year Tribulation. Others say during it and yet others say it happens after the tribulation at the same time as the Second Coming. The only one of these that I can say is absolutely wrong, is the post-tribulation belief. The Bible makes it very clear that it is impossible for the rapture and the Second coming to be at the same time for different reasons. You can learn more about that here... Rapture vs Second Coming
The rapture, to the best I have figured out so far, can possibly happen any time from as you are reading this, to around 5 years into the tribulation. I have always favored that it would happen before the tribulation begins, but more and more I am starting to lean toward it happening somewhere near the middle of the tribulation.
As for what happens in the rapture...
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NASB)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NASB)
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
When Jesus does return for us, He will bring with Him the souls of those who had died and gone to heaven. With a shout, He will raise up their bodies, made new and imperishable and their souls will be reunited with them. Then we who are still alive will be changed from perishable to imperishable, and we will all be snatched up to Him in the clouds to be with Him forever. He will take us back to heaven at this time.
Now this next part is only my speculation. The Bible only hints to it once but does not go into it in detail. But knowing that the Rapture is indeed before the Second Coming, it is only logical that after the rapture happens, there will be many who will recognize what just happened. There will be many Christians who have been taught but never truly believed Jesus was the Son of God who will know what happened. There will be many atheists who have studied the Bible in order to debate with Christians who will know what happened. Many of these who recognize the rapture happened, will suddenly be very true believers. They will know it was all real and they had missed the rapture. They will congregate to the churches and fill the pews. They will study the Bible even harder and many will become the new pastors.
The first moments after the rapture happens, the world will be completely devoid of any true believers. Then as the shock wears off, their will be a new flock of believers to take our place. The biggest difference will be that they will not have the rapture to look forward to. They will need to keep their faith and endure through the worst years this world has ever seen.
The Marriage of the Lamb!
Revelation 19:7-8 (NASB)
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
After we are in heaven in our imperishable bodies, we (His church, His bride) will be wed to Him. Please take note in verse 8, that we will be given to clothe ourselves in fine linen, bright and clean. This will come into play in the next part.
The Second Coming and Armageddon!
After the tribulation is over and after God's wrath has been poured out over the world, Jesus will return. The world will be at war and I believe strongly, for the Bible very much eludes to it, the world will have been through a nuclear war by this time. Jesus will descend from heaven. This time it will not be the souls of the believers who died who will follow Him back. It will be His bride. His entire army of true believers in heaven, following Him on white horses.
Revelation 19:11-14 (NASB)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
In verse 14, we find that the armies are clothed in fine linen, white and clean. These are the same ones who were just married to the Lamb. These are all of the true believers who were raptured. We will follow Him back on white horses in the Second Coming.
You may be wondering what happens with those who turned to Christ after the rapture?
Matthew 24:29-31 (NASB)
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Unlike with the rapture where there is no signs to accompany it and nobody is mentioned to see Jesus other than those who are raptured, in the Second Coming there will be great signs. The Sun will be darkened and the moon will not reflect its light. Stars will fall from the sky and the heavens will be shaken. Jesus will descend from heaven and everyone will see Him coming.
In verse 31 it says Jesus will send forth His angels to gather His elect from all over the world. It never says they are taken up into the clouds to be with Jesus like the rapture verses. That is because they are gathered to Armageddon where Jesus is going. They are not given their imperishable bodies yet either.
The antichrist and his false prophet will be seized and thrown alive into the Lake of Fire. Jesus will destroy the armies and the kings at Armageddon with nothing more than words, and the birds will fill themselves on the flesh of the dead...
Revelation 19:20-21 (NASB)
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Another point to be made here is the beginning of verse 21. "And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse." Who exactly are the rest? For a long time I used to believe this was the armies of the beast. In studying this further, I realize this more than likely includes every single unbeliever in the world. For the believers who survived the tribulation were already gathered by the angels and brought to Armageddon. So the rest of the world would then be unbelievers.
After the unbelievers are all killed and sent to Sheol, the only ones who will be alive are the believers. Most will have their imperishable bodies but those who survived the tribulation will still be in the perishable flesh. One other will still be alive. The devil himself.
Revelation 20:1-3 (NASB)
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
The Thousand Years of Peace!
The thousand years that Satan is bound in the abyss, will be a thousand years of peace when Jesus will reign. The Lord and those in imperishable bodies will be given the great city. Those with perishable bodies will live outside the city and for a thousand years there will be peace. A good look at what this time will be like is found in Isaiah 65, starting at verse 19. It tells us that a child who dies at the age of one hundred will be thought to be cursed. The people will live the years of a tree. The animals of prey will graze like the ox and sheep.
However, those who saw the Lord's return will pass away and as the thousand years continues it will all be just stories to them. They will repopulate the land and when the thousand years are up, Satan will be let loose.
Revelations 20:7-10 (NASB)
7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Satan will deceive the people and turn them against the Saints and the beloved City as one great army. However no battle will happen as they will be destroyed by fires from heaven. Then the devil will be caught and thrown into the Lake of Fire.
The White Throne of Judgment!
After the thousand years of peace are finished. We are all removed from the earth. The second Resurrection happens and every unbeliever in Sheol is brought back to life to stand before the White Throne.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Every unbeliever will first be judged by the deeds of their lives. Both good and bad. Then the Book of Life (note the uppercase B and L) This is not the same book as has their deeds in them. It is a different book. This one only has names in it. Any name found in the Book of Life is given life with God. Those whose names are not found in this book will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Since all of the Believers are already given imperishable bodies by this time, none of those who stand before the White Throne will find their names in the Book of Life. They will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
One might ask, why were they even judged by their deeds then? The answer is because not everyone will have the same level of suffering in the Lake of Fire. Those who were good people but just never believed Jesus was the Son of God will suffer, but those who were evil and did evil things will suffer far worse.
Salvation!
The truth is, salvation is not based on works of any kind. Not good deeds, not water baptism and not asking God to forgive us for our sins. The sinner's prayer does not save you. Salvation is through believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He rose from the dead. If you believe this in your heart, you will be saved. If you do not, then you will be cast in the Lake of Fire. If you do not agree with this, please read this article... How We are Saved: The Truth of God's Word
If you do not know if you truly believe or not, I would suggest you return to OneGodLogic and scan through the articles. There are articles on the evidence of God, there are articles on faith and salvation. Only you know what questions you need answered and there is likely an article addressing it by now. IF there is not and you have questions you want answered, feel free to email me at [email protected]
The Afterlife!
The world tends to think of heaven as a place of clouds where we fly around playing the harp and praising God all day long. Sadly, even most Christians seem to have this image in their heads. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact the first thing to point out is that we wont even spend eternity in heaven.
Revelation 21:1-2 (NASB)
1 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. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
God destroys the earth we live on now. Many try to teach that it isnt a new earth but it is the same earth made new. Its not! Our bodies when we are changed from perishable to imperishable are the same bodies that are made new and better, but when it comes to the earth, it clearly says the old one passes away. Plus the New Jerusalem is going to be 1,500 miles across in both directions as well as 1,500 miles high. The highest point on earth today is the peak of Mt. Everest at approximately 5.5 miles above sea level. If God placed the New Jerusalem on this Earth, It would fill up a good portion of the United States. Many Christians think of the New Jerusalem as being pyramid shaped.
Here are a few images to give you a better understanding of how large the New Jerusalem will be. In the first image, the red square would represent the size of the New Jerusalem compared to the United States. In the next image is how big it would be on the earth if it was a pyramid shape. Obviously a city that size would throw the earth's rotation off. The sheer weight alone would cause problems. In the third image, you get an image of how much bigger the earth would have to be for the new Jerusalem to not cause problems for the rotation of the earth. To be clear, this last image is only my own personal estimation and I am not physicist. In all likelihood, the earth might need to be much bigger. So as you can easily see, the new earth will be just that. A new earth. Not this earth refurbished.
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Life on the New Earth
Revelation 21:22-25 (NASB)
22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
Especially take note of verse 24. It mentions both, the "nations" as well as the "kings" of the earth. The wonderful city of the New Jerusalem that God personally makes and places upon the New Earth will be the greatest city on the planet, but it will not be the only city. We will spread out and create nations on the new earth. The fact that there will be kings tells us that there will be different positions of authority. We will live lives like we do today with jobs and levels of authority. The difference will be that some jobs will not be needed. We will have no need of garbage men or police for there will be no trash heaps and no crime. No military will be needed for there will be no war. There will not be doctors and hospitals for we will not grow sick, old or be injured.
We will have explorers to learn about the different things of the new earth. We will need to study the new wildlife, the sea life and all types of nature. We will work toward new technology for the better of life. We may still have astronauts to explore space. We will likely have all of the sports we have today but there will be no injuries or huge egos.
One thing there will be plenty of, are servants. You see, when we are judged, we will also be judged by our deeds just like the unbelievers. Only our deeds will decide what kind of rewards we receive. Those who live their life for God and do a lot of good things will reap great rewards, have jobs they enjoy more and have servants waiting on them. Those who believe and are saved but live in sin, they will receive few rewards and be servants. We will all, every one of us, be happy just to be in the presence of God every day of our eternal lives, but we will not all enjoy the afterlife to the same extent. Some will be able to enjoy it to its fullest. Others will just be happy to be in the presence of the Lord as they wait upon others.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (NASB)
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
2 John 8 (NASB)
8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
Revelation 22:12 (NASB)
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
As for some being servants?
Mark 9:35 (NASB)
35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 10:43-44 (NASB)
43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.
How we treat others and how right we are with God in this life will have a huge effect on our afterlife. What position we receive and what rewards we receive. This is not for only a few years as you work your way up either. There is no working your way up because there is nobody coming to replace you. The rewards and position you receive in the afterlife will be forever. To live in sin for the few years you have in this life, you will spend all eternity being a servant to others. If you were a true believer here that is. If you live your life for God in this life, you will reap great rewards and enjoy the afterlife more and that will also be for all eternity.
Revelation 21:22-25 (NASB)
22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
Especially take note of verse 24. It mentions both, the "nations" as well as the "kings" of the earth. The wonderful city of the New Jerusalem that God personally makes and places upon the New Earth will be the greatest city on the planet, but it will not be the only city. We will spread out and create nations on the new earth. The fact that there will be kings tells us that there will be different positions of authority. We will live lives like we do today with jobs and levels of authority. The difference will be that some jobs will not be needed. We will have no need of garbage men or police for there will be no trash heaps and no crime. No military will be needed for there will be no war. There will not be doctors and hospitals for we will not grow sick, old or be injured.
We will have explorers to learn about the different things of the new earth. We will need to study the new wildlife, the sea life and all types of nature. We will work toward new technology for the better of life. We may still have astronauts to explore space. We will likely have all of the sports we have today but there will be no injuries or huge egos.
One thing there will be plenty of, are servants. You see, when we are judged, we will also be judged by our deeds just like the unbelievers. Only our deeds will decide what kind of rewards we receive. Those who live their life for God and do a lot of good things will reap great rewards, have jobs they enjoy more and have servants waiting on them. Those who believe and are saved but live in sin, they will receive few rewards and be servants. We will all, every one of us, be happy just to be in the presence of God every day of our eternal lives, but we will not all enjoy the afterlife to the same extent. Some will be able to enjoy it to its fullest. Others will just be happy to be in the presence of the Lord as they wait upon others.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (NASB)
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
2 John 8 (NASB)
8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
Revelation 22:12 (NASB)
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
As for some being servants?
Mark 9:35 (NASB)
35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 10:43-44 (NASB)
43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.
How we treat others and how right we are with God in this life will have a huge effect on our afterlife. What position we receive and what rewards we receive. This is not for only a few years as you work your way up either. There is no working your way up because there is nobody coming to replace you. The rewards and position you receive in the afterlife will be forever. To live in sin for the few years you have in this life, you will spend all eternity being a servant to others. If you were a true believer here that is. If you live your life for God in this life, you will reap great rewards and enjoy the afterlife more and that will also be for all eternity.
