What Happens After Death Part 6

Psalm 116:15 says, 'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saved.'

I ask again, would the gentle Jesus refuse admission to his heaven? He will refuse all people who refuse him. Let the Lord Jesus answer himself in Matthew 25: 41. He says, 'Then shall he say to those on his left hand, depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Then they will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous to eternal life.'

This separation is clearly taught throughout the Bible. Eternal punishment for the unsaved and heaven for the righteous. But who are the righteous according to Jesus? He tells Nicodemus that it is those who have been born again by the Holy Spirit, that unless you are born again by the Holy Spirit you cannot see the kingdom of God. Our wicked nature has to be changed by the rebirth. Another passage about separation is in Matthew 3:12, 'He will gather his wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.'

The Lord Jesus was so convinced that only his sacrifice could save you that he willingly suffered for our sins. Listen again to his conviction about you. In Matthew 13, he says the wheat means the saved. They will be reaped at the end of this age, but what happens to the weeds? They represent those who kept ignoring the warnings. They avoided salvation. Here are the words of the Saviour concerning you if you are still unsaved:
As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age . . . The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father God.

It is in love for you that the Lord Jesus is frank. He was so convinced that you would go to hell if you were unsaved that he faced torture on the cross to save you. The fact that you can hold out against such loving entreaty shows how sinful your heart is. Pride and obstinacy stops even religious people from accepting Christ's free gift of salvation. The Lord Jesus wants you to be among those who shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Think of all those quoted in letters we have read who pleaded on their deathbeds with neighbours and relatives and loved ones to receive Christ, so that they will meet them again in glory. I end by quoting one who on his deathbed said, 'Tell my unconverted sister to receive Christ so that I can meet her in glory.' Then he looked up with a lovely smile and said, 'Yes, Lord, I'm coming, I'm coming.'

Scripture Teaching of Life After Death

After all those wonderful experiences of those who saw the Lord as they died, you might like a summary of what the Bible, God's Word, teaches about life after death. First, we will look at the events for a believer. It is as follows: At death the spirit of the believer leaves the body and goes to be with Christ.

The body is cremated or buried and the bodily remains wait for the time called the resurrection of the body. The spirit of the believer rejoices with great joy in the loving presence of the Saviour. When at the end of this age, Jesus Christ returns from heaven, the believer's spirit accompanies his Saviour Jesus Christ to return to the sky. That's at the second coming of the Lord. Then, the resurrection of the believer's body takes place.

This resurrection body is reunited with the believer's spirit. All those resurrected are Christ's Church. Christ gives a loving welcome to his bride, the Church.

Next follows the prize-giving time while still in the sky. The believer's works for the Lord are examined, for the deeds done in the body. For these he or she is rewarded and given their praise, 'Well done good and faithful servant!'

They are allotted their suitable function in the coming kingdom.

Next comes the tremendous earth-shaking event. Jesus descends with his believers to judge the nations. He descends to the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem. He banishes all wickedness and establishes his happy kingdom on earth for a thousand years.

The Lord's prayer will have been fulfilled, 'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth just as it is in heaven.'

At the end of the 1,000 years, the rest of the dead will be raised for their judgement. Then the whole universe will be cleaned up and a wonderful era of blessing and happiness will be fulfilled. Sin and Satan will be banished and the universe will be the glorious realm of happiness which God intended, but which was spoilt by the rebellion of Satan and then by the disobedience of the human race.

As it says at the end of the Bible: 'Nothing unclean will enter, nor anyone who practises filth but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.' So do ask the Lord to cleanse you and put your name in his book of life.

Is your name there?

First published in Miracles & Angels, Dr E K Victor Pearce.