Spiritual gifts

Chapter 9: Life and death

Chapter 9:

A lot of people wonder what's going to happen after this life is over. Well in revelation it says this:

"The Thousand Years

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon -that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan-and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

The Defeat of Satan

When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations-called Gog and Magog -in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle -a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God's people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Final Judgment

And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire."

-Revelation 20:1-15.

So first it mentions the first death being Satan thrown into a bottomless pit for a thousand years, and when the thousand years are done he will be released for a while.

The people sitting on the thrones will judge, and those who did not get the mark of the beast will live again and be with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. Then all of God's army will battle Satan, and that is when God throws them into the lake of fire, and they will be tormented forever and ever. So if your name is NOT in the book of life, then you will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

A lot of people say that revelation is a scary book, and it can be confusing. But it actually says in the bible that grace shall be given to you if you read the book of revelation. It doesn't say that for any other book of the bible. So Revelation is a really good book to read.

It says in Matthew 24:30-35; "And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will, gather his chosen ones from all over the world-from the farthest ends of the earth and heavens. Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear."

So basically this is saying the signs of Jesus' return. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. Then all his followers will be killed and hated all over the world. The sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and His angels will send out a mighty blast of a trumpet, and He will take his chosen ones from all over the world.

In Matthew 25:31-46 it says; "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels will him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' Then they will reply, 'Lord when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life."

So those bible verses basically said that those who are followers of Christ, and helped others, and Him will go into eternal life.

Other places of the bible that you can find this topic is in John 14:1-31, 1 Corinthians 15:12-58, 1 Peter 1:3-9, and 2 Peter 3:1-13.

Then people will ask me 'But if God loves everyone, why would he let them die and some go to hell?'. Well here are some bible verses to help you understand...

"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more." -John 15:1-2.

So basically God will take out the people that are bad, and doesn't believe in Him, and he will keep the people who are good, and will spread the gospel more.

"Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil-the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature." -Ephesians 2:1-3.

"Jesus told her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this, Martha?'" John 11:25-26.

"The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die." -Psalms 116:15.

"If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose -to be Lord both of the living and the dead." -Romans 14:8-9.

"Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him." -2 Corinthians 5:8-9.

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