(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
Some people do not give much thought to the future, even though they probably should.
What happens to a person when he dies? ...Some think nothing happens, that one simply ceases to exist, because this world is all there is to life. There is nothing more or, as the old Budweiser commercial put it: "You only go around once, so grab all the gusto you can get."
The Bible gives a much different account, one that makes death the beginning of another existence.1 For those who know God, who have adopted The Foremost Comportment, which is by exhibiting the piety of God, that next state will be one of comfort. For those who do not know God, that next state will be one of torment. In other words, a person's decision in this life will determine his destination in the next life. Please turn to Rev 20, where John notes that for both groups, this determination will be...
* V. The Foremost Commencement
...which reveals...
...the contrasting options He has prepared for man's future. Please turn to...
John has just finished describing Jesus' return and Satan's defeat before the Messianic Age. Attending the savior's advent is an event I mentioned earlier that involves believers: "the first resurrection"16 which portends encouraging and fulfilling days ahead. Apart from your getting a renovated body, John says that...
1. Your future state will be protected.
Remember that just as everyone will experience the 'first—or, physical—death,' so everyone at some point will be raised from the dead. The difference is when that will happen and to what end. Those who are raised before the Messianic Age can be confident that their future is secure, that they will not have to face a reversal of their condition down the road: "The second death has no power over them" (v. 6b). Whatever your lot may be in the present age, your future state will be protected. More than that...
2. Your future state will be productive.
Many Christians wonder what they will be doing in their new bodies. Will they be sitting on clouds and playing harps? (Some will play harps.17) Will they be eating bagels with Philadelphia cream cheese? (There will be food.18) John says that those who enter the Messianic Age will have important jobs with significant responsibility: "they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him" (v. 6c).19 Whatever your task may be in the Messianic Age, your future state will be productive.
It will not be so for those in the 'second resurrection.' Their fate will be far different and far worse, consigned to "[t]he lake of fire [which] is the second death." This separation of one group from another will not be arbitrary. Each side will have a 'paper trail,' so to speak, a record of their decision here that has determined their destination there: "the book of life" (v. 15).20 It is a list of everyone who has turned to God in repentance and faith, everyone God has redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. The unrighteous are not part of this ledger, as John makes clear.
...Some who claim to be Christians make their initial confession to God their final action for God 21 They coast through life as if God has no expectations, but a person's responsibility does not end with his redemption. Jude, brother of our Lord, closes his letter explaining how his readers, including you, should take advantage of the freedom your position affords because your salvation is secure. Here are...
In Rev 20, John describes The Foremost Commencement, the contrasting options God has prepared for two groups. The "first resurrection," which leads ultimately to eternal life, is what all those who know God should anticipate, when the comfort of the intermediate state becomes the glorification of the final state. The second resurrection, which leads ultimately to the "second death," is what all those who do not know God should dread, when the torment of the intermediate state becomes the condemnation of the final state. While God lays out the options, He leaves the choice to you. Thankfully, you have chosen to join the first group, which has wonderful prospects for the future. ...Having made that decision, how are you developing that prospect now to get the most from it later?
Having considered The Foremost Commencement, we will look next at The Foremost Component, which maintains the prerequisite of God, as the author of Hebrews states in Hebrews 11:6.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
A zealous young preacher came upon a farmer working in his field. Being concerned for the farmer's soul, the preacher asked him, "Are you laboring in the vineyard of the Lord?" Continuing to work, the farmer replied, "Nah, these are soybeans." "You don't understand," said the preacher. "Are you a Christian?" With the same amount of enthusiasm as his previous answer showed, the farmer said, "Nope my name's Jones. You must be lookin' for Jim Christian. He lives a mile south of here." Undeterred, the preacher tried again, "Are you lost?" "Nope," the farmer answered. "I've lived here all my life." Pressing on, the preacher asked, "Are you prepared for the resurrection?" This caught the farmer's attention, and he responded, "When's it gonna be?" Thinking he had accomplished something, the young preacher replied, "It could be today, tomorrow, or the next day." Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, the farmer remarked. "Well, don't mention it to my wife. She doesn't get out much...and she'll wanna go all three days."Some people do not give much thought to the future, even though they probably should. The resurrection will not be a three-day affair. It will not even take a day but will take place "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor 15:52). It is also not an event to miss.
What happens to a person when he dies? ...Some think nothing happens, that one simply ceases to exist, because this world is all there is to life. There is nothing more or, as the old Budweiser commercial put it: "You only go around once, so grab all the gusto you can get."
The Bible gives a much different account, one that makes death the beginning of another existence.1 For those who know God, who have adopted The Foremost Comportment, which is by exhibiting the piety of God, that next state will be one of comfort. For those who do not know God, that next state will be one of torment. In other words, a person's decision in this life will determine his destination in the next life. Please turn to Rev 20, where John notes that for both groups, this determination will be...
* V. The Foremost Commencement
...which reveals...
- The predestination of God (Rev 20:6, 14-15)2
...the contrasting options He has prepared for man's future. Please turn to...
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy3 are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them,4 but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.... 14b The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.Several terms, some of which John uses, describe what people face after their relatively brief sojourn on earth is over, and it is helpful to have these terms clearly in mind as we contemplate his description of the future. He mentions a "first resurrection," which implies there is a 'second resurrection'; likewise, he mentions a "second death," which implies there is a 'first death.' Indeed, there is a first and second in each category, and it is necessary to understand both in order to appreciate what John writes about...
Man's Final Disposition.
- The 'first death' (alluded in the next term) is physical death, which affects both the righteous and the unrighteous. It is the temporary separation of the body (man's material part), which goes into the grave, from the soul (man's immaterial part), which goes into Sheol (Old Testament) or Hades (New Testament). Theologians call this way station for the soul the "intermediate state," which is a person's existence after the death of his body and before the reanimation of his body.5
NB: Despite what appears to be a common destination for all people, they do not all enjoy the same accommodation. The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 illustrates the different conditions for the two groups.
- The redeemed enjoy comfort (in "paradise").6
- The reprobate endure torment (in "hell").7
Both groups are conscious, aware of the passage of time and of events on earth, but they have no contact with the living. They are awaiting their final disposition, when Jesus returns.
- The "second death"8 is spiritual death, which affects only the unrighteous. It is the permanent separation of a person from God, the final state for the unrighteous after their resurrection to face God's judgment, when they are consigned to "the lake of fire."9
- The "first resurrection"10 is physical life as well as spiritual life, which affects only the righteous. It is the permanent (re)union of the body (man's material part), which is reanimated for glorification, and the soul (man's immaterial part). The first resurrection will occur at the beginning of Jesus' reign.11 It is the final state for those who eventually will have access to the presence of God in the new heaven and new earth.12
- The 'second resurrection' (alluded in the previous term) is also physical life as well as spiritual life, but affects only the unrighteous. It is the permanent union of the body (man's material part), which is reanimated for condemnation, and the soul (man's immaterial part). The second resurrection will occur at the conclusion of Jesus' reign.13 It is the final state for those who ultimately will be excluded from the presence of God in the new heaven and new earth.14
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23a But each in his own turn....Jesus notes that they will also not all be raised to the same end.15
Matt 25:46 [The unrighteous] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.Understanding how death and resurrection fit in God's plan, enables us to understand John's reference to these events in Rev 20.
John has just finished describing Jesus' return and Satan's defeat before the Messianic Age. Attending the savior's advent is an event I mentioned earlier that involves believers: "the first resurrection"16 which portends encouraging and fulfilling days ahead. Apart from your getting a renovated body, John says that...
1. Your future state will be protected.
Remember that just as everyone will experience the 'first—or, physical—death,' so everyone at some point will be raised from the dead. The difference is when that will happen and to what end. Those who are raised before the Messianic Age can be confident that their future is secure, that they will not have to face a reversal of their condition down the road: "The second death has no power over them" (v. 6b). Whatever your lot may be in the present age, your future state will be protected. More than that...
2. Your future state will be productive.
Many Christians wonder what they will be doing in their new bodies. Will they be sitting on clouds and playing harps? (Some will play harps.17) Will they be eating bagels with Philadelphia cream cheese? (There will be food.18) John says that those who enter the Messianic Age will have important jobs with significant responsibility: "they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him" (v. 6c).19 Whatever your task may be in the Messianic Age, your future state will be productive.
It will not be so for those in the 'second resurrection.' Their fate will be far different and far worse, consigned to "[t]he lake of fire [which] is the second death." This separation of one group from another will not be arbitrary. Each side will have a 'paper trail,' so to speak, a record of their decision here that has determined their destination there: "the book of life" (v. 15).20 It is a list of everyone who has turned to God in repentance and faith, everyone God has redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. The unrighteous are not part of this ledger, as John makes clear.
Rev 13:8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb....
Rev 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter [the New Jerusalem], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.With no record of salvation, the unrighteous have only the prospect of desolation, because...
Rev 20:15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.In light of what is in store for you, is there anything you should still do?
...Some who claim to be Christians make their initial confession to God their final action for God 21 They coast through life as if God has no expectations, but a person's responsibility does not end with his redemption. Jude, brother of our Lord, closes his letter explaining how his readers, including you, should take advantage of the freedom your position affords because your salvation is secure. Here are...
Jude's Two Recommendations
- The first recommendation is what you should do for yourself, which is work to enhance your relationship with God.22 Having secured your salvation, you must attend to your other needs. So Jude says...
Are you doing what you can to enhance your relationship with God?Jude 20 [B]uild yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
- The second recommendation is what you should do for others, which is help to establish their relationship with God. Having secured your salvation, you must attend to the needs of others. So Jude says...
Are you doing what you can to help establish others' relationship with God? The apostle John depicts a wonderful future for the saved—for you—but your responsibility does not end with your redemption.Jude 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
In Rev 20, John describes The Foremost Commencement, the contrasting options God has prepared for two groups. The "first resurrection," which leads ultimately to eternal life, is what all those who know God should anticipate, when the comfort of the intermediate state becomes the glorification of the final state. The second resurrection, which leads ultimately to the "second death," is what all those who do not know God should dread, when the torment of the intermediate state becomes the condemnation of the final state. While God lays out the options, He leaves the choice to you. Thankfully, you have chosen to join the first group, which has wonderful prospects for the future. ...Having made that decision, how are you developing that prospect now to get the most from it later?
Having considered The Foremost Commencement, we will look next at The Foremost Component, which maintains the prerequisite of God, as the author of Hebrews states in Hebrews 11:6.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Jim Skaggs