WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?

BY

HAROLD E. CORMANY

Did you know that one of the major Christian doctrines preached by most faiths is simply a clever ruse conceived by Satan the devil? This deception states that only a few are saved and go to heaven, while the rest of humanity is consigned to the lake of fire, to burn for all eternity. You won’t find this anywhere in your Bible. How did this lie originate, and why do Christian ministers continue to preach it? Have you wondered where your dead loved ones and friends are? Certainly you’ve spent some uneasy moments wondering where you’ll be after you’ve taken your last breath. You need to read this article by Harold Cormany and find out exactly what happens when you die, and what God’s plan is for all of us.

Most Christians accept it as gospel. Good people go to heaven, bad people go to hell and burn for eternity. And the dead are on their way to their appointed destination before most people are aware of the address change. Devout Christians believe this means the vast majority of the Earth’s population, past and present, had better plan on frying in perpetuity, while they and a few others rub elbows with the elite in paradise.

But is the God we worship so cruel He would include this in His plan for salvation? Are there scriptures that tell us this is what happens when we die? If not, why does most of mainstream Christianity fervently believe this?

God is not the author of the ‘heaven or hell’ plan for mankind. Believe it or not, Satan the Devil instigated this hoax. All because he got ‘too big for his britches’ while residing in heaven with God and was unceremoniously booted out. He straight away plummeted to earth, much to the chagrin of those of us who live here.

How did Satan get himself into this situation in the first place? If we go to the Old Testament, and yes, the Old Testament is just as much a part of God’s Holy Word as is the New Testament, we read in Isaiah 14:12 –“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

It sounds as if Satan was abruptly shown the door -- here's your halo, what's your hurry? --- and Jesus confirmed this in Luke 10:18. “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” We also read this in Rev. 12:3 “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. v 4- And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”

Isaiah 14:13- “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: v 14 - I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

Satan’s desire is to get back into heaven. What did he do to get himself into so much trouble? Let’s turn to Ezekiel 28. (The king of Tyre was a type of Satan.) v. 12- “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.v 13 - Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

How can we know this? We know the King of Tyre (physically) was never in the garden of Eden. v 14-“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”

v 15-“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. V 16- By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. v 17- Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. v 18- Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. v19- All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”

Satan had an additional plan when he went into the Garden of Eden and convinced Adam and Eve to disobey God. In doing so, he got himself in more trouble. So much more, that he considered himself to be the god of this world, and he tried to convince Jesus of this. Notice Matthew 4:8 – “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; v 9- And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.v 10- Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.v 11- Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

When Jesus returns to earth, one of his first official acts will be to lock Satan in the ‘slammer’ for 1,000 years. Rev. 20:1- “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. v 2- And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, v 3- And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Upon his release at the end of the millennium, he goes back to what he does best, the only thing he knows, and that is to lie and deceive, and believe it or not, he will once again convince countless numbers of people to rebel against God. Rev. 20:7- “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, v 8- And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. v 9- “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”

We then discover who will end up in the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever. Rev. 20:10 –“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Who ends up in the lake of fire? None other than Satan himself and two of his close associates, and I’m sure his demons as well.

So how did the mainstream Christian world come to believe in ‘heaven and hell’ for mankind? Another term for it could be “judgment at death”, a tenet which is not found in God’s Holy Word. This idea was originated by the fourteenth-century poet Dante, who obviously had ‘friends’ -- or at least admirers-- in high places. The idea of being judged immediately upon death and then sent to Heaven or Hell caught on instantly and became doctrine for the Roman Catholic church who passed it on to the Protestants. (It’s interesting to note that Dante himself, author of The Inferno, after choosing the wrong side in a papal vs emperor war was banished from his hometown of Florence, Italy, under threat of being burned alive if he ever returned. )

Does scripture teach that the good go to heaven when they die? No, but we can read a scripture which says they don’t go to heaven, and save ourselves a lot of time and research. John 3:13 says,”And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.”

Except the time that Jesus went up to heaven, (John 20:17 –“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” and Acts 1:9 –“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. v 10-And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; v 11-Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”) no man has ever ascended to heaven.

God Himself described David as a man after God’s own heart. Surely David made it to heaven, right?

Acts 2 tells us, no, he did not.

v-29 -“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. v 30- Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; v 31- He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. v 32-This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. v 33- Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. v 34- For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, v 35- Until I make thy foes thy footstool.”

So what does happen when we die?

Let’s read from Ecclesiastes 3.
v 18 -”I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. v 19-For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. v 20-All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. v 21-Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? v 22-Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”

Notice the preacher's words in Ecclesiastes 9.
v 4 –“For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. v 5- For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. v 6- Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”
And in v 10- “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

We read in Job 14:
v 1-“Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. v 2- He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. v 3-And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? v 4- Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. v 5- Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; v 6- Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day. v 7-For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. v 8- Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; v 9- Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. v 10- But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? v 11- As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: v 12- So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. “

We read over and over again that the dead are dead; unconscious, lifeless, oblivious, unaware. Our physical bodies decompose back to the dust of the earth.

But the scriptures also talk of the spirit in man. In Job 32:8- “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” and in I Corinthians 2:10 –“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. v 11- For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”

What is this spirit? The immortal soul? No, because man does not have an immortal soul. This is a spirit retained by God, mentioned in Ecclesiastes 3: 21 and it is “us”. It is what and who we have been; think of it as a constantly running cassette tape that records our entire life. When we die, that “unconscious tape” is removed and retained by God. He puts it back into either a spirit body in the first resurrection, or a physical body in the second resurrection.

Rev. 20:5- “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. v 6- Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. “

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote regarding the state of the dead in Christ. In I Corinthians 15: 12- Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? v 13- But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: v 14-And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. v 15- Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.v16- For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: v 17- And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. v 18- Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. v 19- If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. v 20- But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. v 21 -For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. v 22- For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. v 23- But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. “

Especially important are Paul’s words in v 50- “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. v 51- Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,v 52- In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. v 53- For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. v 54- So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.“

Did you catch that? The mortal must become immortal. Why would those who lived and died in Christ have to be resurrected and changed, if they have been alive in heaven since death? Sorry, friends, but right now there is no one in heaven except God, Christ and His angels. The dead are dead and unconscious, and will remain so until their time of change comes.

John 5:27- “And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. v 28- Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,”

This is confirmed in the Old Testament in Daniel 12:2- ”And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

John speaks of these two resurrections in the book of Revelation 20:4- “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. v 5- But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. v 6- Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

In Revelations 20 we also read of the second resurrection of the dead: v 11 –“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. v 12- And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. v 13- And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”

This second resurrection is a physical resurrection of the dead.

Stop and think for a few seconds.

Throughout the New Testament, Christ preaches of forgiveness and love. Why then would God condemn people to an everlasting burning hell fire? We know human flesh cannot burn forever, and that certainly is not what God has in mind for the human race. Notice Paul’s words to Timothy in I Timothy 2:4 –“ Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

See what Paul also says in Romans 11.
v 16- “For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. v 17- And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; v 18- Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. v 19- Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. v 20- Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: v 21- For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. v 22- Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. v 24- For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
v 25- For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. v 26- And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: v 27- For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. v 28- As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes. v 29-For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. v 30 -For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: v 31-Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. v 32- For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.”

God did not create human beings only to roast them on a spit until they are well done. John 3:16 –“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Romans 5:6- “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. v 7- For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. v 8- But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ask mainstream Protestant ministers and Catholic priests where in the Bible it says the saved go to heaven and the unsaved end up in hellfire? Yes, I know they will turn to the book of Revelation, where it talks about those not found in the book of life, ending up in the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15-“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire

However, this is only after the second resurrection in Revelation 20. The second resurrection is a chance at salvation for all of those who are not in the first resurrection. Yes, Satan has rendered mankind blind to God’s plan of salvation. He has even deceived the Christian clergy. I have been to Protestant funerals where the minister had the deceased in heaven, and in the same service talked of the hope of the resurrection. Deceived and confused!

Notice 2 Corinthians 11:1-“Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. v 2- For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. v 3- But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. v 4-For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

How does Satan do this? Easily. Continue in v. 13-“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.v 14-And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. v 15-Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

Even God has given some the spirit of slumber. Notice in Romans 11:1- “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. v 2- God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying, v 3-Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. v 4-But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. v 5- Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. v 6- And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. v 7- What at then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. v 8- (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.”

This is the reason Jesus often spoke in parables which most did not understand.

There is no judgment at death; you won’t find anything about it anywhere in the Bible. When we die, we are dead, the Bible says “the dead know not anything”. This is why there must be a resurrection of God’s saints.

I Thessalonians 4:13- “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. v 14-For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. v 15-For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. v 16-For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: v 17-Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. v 18-Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

The next question is when does Christ return to earth?

In both Corinthians and Thessalonians, Paul refers to the dead in Christ as being asleep until He returns. The first resurrection is when those who are alive and living on earth are changed. But Christ does not return to earth at this time. Rather, those who have been changed go up to meet Him in the clouds (first heaven). First, there will be rewards given to the faithful. Revelation 11:18 –“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”

This is followed by a marriage and marriage supper. Revelation 19:7- “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. v 8 - to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. v 9- And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. v 10- And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

According to scripture, this will occur on the sea of glass, allowing the elect to escape God’s wrath of the 7 vial plagues. Revelation 15:1- And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. v 2 -And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. v 3- And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”

Then Christ returns.

Rev. 19:11- "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. v 12-His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. v 13 -And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. v 14-And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. v 15-And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. v 16-And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. v 17-And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; v 18- That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. v 19- And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. v 20- And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. v 21- And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."

This is verified in Jude v. 14- “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, v 15 -To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

This is the beginning of the 1,000 year period, when the saints shall reign with Christ over the earth. Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

At the end of this 1,000 years, the rest of the dead are physically resurrected to stand before Christ in judgment. However, this judgment is not just a judgment to death. Notice in Rev. 20:11- “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. v 12- And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. v 13-And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. v 14-And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. v 15-And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

This is a time when those who did not die in Christ will have a chance for salvation and they will be judged over a period of time by their works (deeds). It is only at the end of this judgment period that those who refuse to accept God as their ruler, and those who are incorrigible must die in the lake of fire. Rev. 20:15-“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” and Rev. 21:8 –“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Those consigned to the lake of fire die instantly, but this does not happen until they refuse to accept God’s terms for eternal life. It is only those who blaspheme God and say, we will not have this God to rule over us who will get their wish.

Would a loving God consign those who have never even heard of Christ or who were blinded to the truth to an ever burning hellfire? Satan and his demons are the ones who will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever. (Rev. 20:10). This is a well deserved sentence for the prince of darkness. Jesus called him a murderer and a liar in John 8:44 – “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

God is producing a family of spirit beings who will be with Him for eternity. Paul describes this in I Corinthians 12:9-11. Also in I Corinthians 15:24- “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. v 25-For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. v 26-The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. v 27-For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. v 28- And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.”

This is when God the Father comes to the earth, and continues His work with His Son and His spirit children.

Perhaps it’s time we all emulate the Bereans. We read of them in Acts 17:11- “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. v 12- Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.”

Maybe now is the time for you to receive Christ into your life. If you do, your reward will be incredible; eternal life with God.