When the Father finished creating the heavens and the earth, and after creating the animals, He created man in Genesis 1:26-27; “Then God said, let Us make man in Our own image, after Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female, He created them.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine)
Initially, man was created to be immortal, but after the first sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), human immortality was lost on this earth. In Genesis 6:3, we read, “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not abide in man forever, for he is flesh; his days shall be 120 years.'”
Going to Psalm 90:10, “The years of our life are seventy (threescore and ten), or even if by reason of strength eighty (fourscore), yet they are soon gone and we fly away.”
What we as humans do in our individual lifetimes becomes significant when we realize our bodies will die, but our souls are eternal. Every human, from Adam and Eve all the way through the Millennial Reign of our Savior on this earth, will make a choice as to where their soul will spend their forever. Some will have eternal life in Heaven with Jesus; others will have eternal punishment in the lake of fire with Satan and his demons or fallen angels.
In our lifetime, my wife and I have experienced the passing of numerous loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and even those who did not really care for us. Those who have passed are set to enter one of two places, and their destiny cannot be changed.
Our hope is that all who have gone on will be scheduled for the 2 Corinthians 5:10 “Judgment Seat of Christ.” No one at this event will go into the lake of fire; however, rewards will be gained or lost depending on what was done on earth, whether good or evil. All that will attend this will have received and accepted Jesus as their Savior before they died. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
From creation to the Savior’s gift at Calvary, all who were in the will of God have experienced peace, which Jesus talked about in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus’ blood at Calvary reached back for those who died in the will of the Father while waiting for the arrival of the Messiah to give us the perfect sacrifice. From His sacrifice on, bull and goat sacrifices would not be acceptable (Hebrews 10:4).
For all from the creation to the end of this earth’s existence who were out of the will of God and all who refused to receive and accept Jesus after Calvary will attend a very sorrowful event.
Revelation 20:11-15; “Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who was seated on it. From His presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it; Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Please note, there is no forgiveness or pardons here, and all will answer for every single sin they ever committed while on the earth.
As stated, we pray for all the persons we know that they will not be at the great white throne. Right now, we have a loved one who very likely will be in the presence of Jesus very soon, and we are absolutely confident her appearance will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The great part about being a true believer is that all sins are forgiven. No one has sinned so greatly that the blood of our Savior cannot cleanse them. When, not if, we sin as believers, we follow 1 John 1:8-10 where the Father forgives us when we confess to Him. It’s as if we never sinned, but only because the blood of His Son, Jesus, covers us.
The hardest part of a loved one passing is the loss of their fellowship here. That person now is in the presence of the Savior and would not want to return here for anything.
Legacy Five, a very fine Gospel Group, performed a song written by Barry Weeks, Tony Wood, and Jim Brady in 2009 called “Hello After Goodbye.” It was done in honor of Roger Bennet, a group member who passed away. The words express a wonderful message for us all.
1.) “We dress in black, and we say goodbye; how our hearts break, and oh how we cry. Yet though we grieve, we still have hope ’cause for all hearts of faith, we trust and know,
Ref) There’s a Hello after Goodbye, a blessed reunion promised in time. We will be with them far longer than we were without, no doubt; no more tears in our eyes in that beautiful, wonderful, Hello After Goodbye.
2.) Next time we see them, we’ll never more know the sorrow and pain of letting go; we’re with them forever, life without end, in that most blessed sweet moment when,
Ref) There’s a Hello after Goodbye, a blessed reunion promised in time. We will be with them far longer than we were without, no doubt; no more tears in our eyes in that beautiful, wonderful Hello after Goodbye.
We will see them again, be with them again, laugh and talk like before, sing and worship forevermore. There is a Hello After Goodbye, a blessed reunion promised in time. We will be with them far longer than we were without, no doubt; no more tears in our eyes in that beautiful, wonderful, Hello after Goodbye.”
Everyone who has truly received and accepted Jesus, as given in Romans 10:9-13, will be reunited with all who passed away that were saved. There will never be anymore good-byes, as death has been conquered by our Savior. Imagine having a conversation with Daniel or Ruth or many others and knowing that they are truly interested in us as well.
The day is rapidly approaching when the Father will have Jesus take His flock off this earth to keep us from the coming wrath. Those left behind will experience a terrible earth that has never been before. The news headlines today are as if they are taken right out of the pages of Bible prophecy. One thing for certain, we don’t know the day or the hour this will take place, but the Father knows the exact second the Rapture will occur, and it will happen right on time.
For anyone to get their reservation secured for that event, just follow the ABCs of Romans 10:9-13.
-A – Admit we’re all sinners and in need of a Savior.
-B- Believe that Jesus is our only Savior and the only way to the Father. We have faith and trust that God raised Jesus from the dead to conquer sin and death for all who would receive and accept the gift that He gave us on that cruel cross at Calvary.
-C- Call; all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Tomorrow is not promised, but a Home with Jesus is promised forever for all who become a part of His precious flock. Today would not be too early to make your reservation. 1 Corinthians 15:52 states that when the Trumpet of God sounds, it will take place “in a moment; in the twinkling of an eye….” No one will be able to call out in time to repent and be taken up to meet Jesus when the Trumpet and shout from the archangel takes place.
The choice is totally up to each and every individual to make. God will force no one to accept His Son. Take a moment and make the absolute best and most important decision you will ever make. Heaven or Hell; your choice. Hope to see you at Home with the Savior.
Shalom! Peace and Blessings!