LIFE AFTER DEATH – PART 2
Sakkie Parsons
Following what I wrote about “Your Last Step on Earth and Your First Step Thereafter” and quite a few other thoughts on the same subject, someone wrote to me again. I am sharing the question just as I received it:
Pastor, now please tell me, what happens to Judgment Day if all God’s children are already with Jesus? I thought that everyone who die goes to a place of rest?
In Part One of this short series, I explained where everyone is now, from the beginning of creation up to this very moment as you read these words, who exchanged this temporary life for eternal life and lived a godless life, according to the testimony we find in our Lord’s precious Word.
In this writing, I am now going to show you, according to the testimony of our Lord’s precious Word, where all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour are now, but who will also one day stand before the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ to be judged.
Take note: We will not stand there to be condemned, but we will stand there to be judged.
Because you see:
ROMANS 8:1–2
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.
All right, then.
We now know that there will be no condemnation for us before the judgment seat of our God and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
But where do we go when we leave this life? And where are all true believers now, until that day when we will all stand before the throne of the only true God to be judged?
Let me first show you an example of where the God-fearing people are who left this life and entered eternity before our Redeemer and Saviour, Jesus Christ, established and put the New Testament into effect.
I could have quoted quite a few examples from the Word, such as Enoch and Elijah, but I will settle for this, to me, exceptional and wonderful example that we find in the New Testament.
The New Testament shows us everything a Christian need to know in this life to help him or her on our journey out of this life and into the glorious eternal life.
We read about it, and you can also read about this great event in Mark 9:2 and following, but in this writing, I will quote from Matthew 17:1:
MATTHEW 17:1–3
1 After six days, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves.
2 He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as the light.
3 Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.
Did you see what you have just read?
MATTHEW 17:3 Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.
Moses and Elijah lived hundreds of years before Peter, James, and John. They had already left this life and entered eternity. And not only had Moses and Elijah entered eternity hundreds of years before these three disciples, but they had also left this life and entered eternity hundreds of years apart from each other. And here they are, standing together like old friends, talking with each other and with Jesus.
But actually, it is not surprising that they are old friends, even though Elijah entered eternity long after Moses. They have known each other personally for hundreds of years. And not only have they known each other for hundreds of years, but they have also known Jesus for hundreds of years, because both of them had already been together with Jesus in heaven for hundreds of years.
I will settle for the following two examples, which I use, so to speak, to emphasize and underline your and my final destination, according to the Holy Word, when we leave this life and enter eternity. The first example is found in Luke 23:42–43, but I will quote from Luke 23:39:
LUKE 23:39–43
39 One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”
40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
43 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Jesus said to the man:
LUKE 23:43 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
As I always tell people, I will say it again. When Jesus says today, you can be absolutely sure that it means today. And when Jesus says with Me, you can be absolutely sure that it means with Jesus.
I could have mentioned another example, such as Stephen, who, while he was being executed, had already seen where he would be a short time later.
But I will settle for what Paul wrote on this subject on one occasion.
And as you read this, keep in mind that the man who wrote it, namely Paul, was also the man to whom Jesus entrusted most of His New Testament, which He established to teach us how we should live our lives in this world. Jesus did not even entrust the teaching about the Holy Communion to one of the disciples who had been present at the Last Passover meal. Instead, even though Paul had not been there, our Lord had so much confidence in Paul that Jesus entrusted him with teaching you and me about the Holy Communion. You can read this from 1 Corinthians 11:23 onward.
Then Paul also comes along and write later, under the guidance of that same Holy Spirit, what he expects and what you and I can expect when we leave this life and enter eternity with Jesus’ Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
PHILIPPIANS 1:21–23
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.
23 But I am in a dilemma between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Yes, when we leave this life, we enter heaven, and one day we will stand together with the rest of the world before the throne of Jesus Christ.
As I have already shown you, we will not stand there to be condemned, but to be judged. A good example of how that judgment will work is found in 1 Corinthians 3, starting at verse 11:
1 CORINTHIANS 3:11–15
11 For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold (an example of something valuable that cannot be burned), silver (an example of something valuable that cannot be burned), costly stones (an example of something valuable that cannot be burned), wood (which can be burned by fire), hay (which can be burned by fire), or stubble (which can be burned by fire)—
13 each one’s work will be revealed. For the Day (before Jesus’ judgment seat) will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each has done.
14 If any man’s work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
For we also know that our GOD is like a consuming fire. I could have given quite a few examples, but I will settle for the following:
DEUT 4:24–26
24 For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.
25 When you father children and grandchildren, and you have lived long in the land, and corrupt yourselves, and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the Lord your God’s sight, to provoke him to anger,
26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from off the land which you go over the Jordan to possess. You will not prolong your days on it, but will utterly be destroyed.
And that is exactly what happened in the end. For approximately 2,000 years, they did not inhabit their land as a nation.
Listen, child of God—
To me, it is as if Jesus, here, almost at the very end of His New Testament, which He established for us, is once again impressing strongly upon our hearts what we should use to guide us in how we live this life so that one day we may appear before Him and be judged.
Namely, His Gospel, according to His New Testament, which He established for us and had written down for us through His apostles:
REV 22:12 “Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work.
REV 22:13 I am (says our Lord Jesus Christ) the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Greetings,
Sakkie