Romans 14:8 ESV
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
John 11:26 ESV
And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Our souls are eternal and will one day return to the Lord in salvation or judgment. For those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, we will experience life after death just as Jesus in His resurrection. Not only will our souls immediately transition to the current Heaven, but within the day and time of the Revelation events, we will receive a new body, a new Heaven, a new Earth, and a new Jerusalem, which will be the epicenter of God's reign on Earth.
John 6:40 ESV
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Much awaits those who love God. For those who hate or resist God, we see a debt of sin with no way to pay such a debt. To resist Jesus Christ is to remain in death to our sins. Sin is the opposite of being holy. To live in the presence of perfection and a all holy God, one can have no speck of imperfection. Jesus imparts this righteous perfection to the believer. God sees you through Christ.
Revelation 21:1-8 NIV
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Those who are victorious, aka all who hold their faith unto the end of their physical life, will experience the blessings and promises of God in salvation. They are truly victorious. We should mourn the soul that resisted Christ.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
In sin, we are dead. When the law of morality came into our conscience either by Spirit or Word, we died as sin took hold. It is only in Jesus Christ do we spring to life.
The unbelievers who die are held in a current state of Hell, also called Sheol or Hades in the scriptures. The events in Revelation 20 and 21 are describing the final place for Hell.
Revelation 20:12-15 NIV
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The grave/death and hades are thrown into thd lake of fire or Gehenna. This is called the second death. Some people claim this is soul annihilation. But in context, it seems to be better understood as eternal separation from God. The same idea is said for those who are without Christ. They may be living, but in sin, they are considered dead.
For those who hold to faith in Christ, their names will be found in the book of life. A volume of books contains the evil records of every sinner. Whereas one book, the book of life, only holds the names of those who put their faith either in the Messiah to come (Old Testament) or the Messiah Jesus Christ who came (New Testament). In Christ, our sins are blotted out and forgotten.
For in death, we have life, life eternal. God will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. We may on Earth feel the need to mourn for a person's absence, but for the believer, it is victory.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
John 11:26 ESV
And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Our souls are eternal and will one day return to the Lord in salvation or judgment. For those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, we will experience life after death just as Jesus in His resurrection. Not only will our souls immediately transition to the current Heaven, but within the day and time of the Revelation events, we will receive a new body, a new Heaven, a new Earth, and a new Jerusalem, which will be the epicenter of God's reign on Earth.
John 6:40 ESV
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Much awaits those who love God. For those who hate or resist God, we see a debt of sin with no way to pay such a debt. To resist Jesus Christ is to remain in death to our sins. Sin is the opposite of being holy. To live in the presence of perfection and a all holy God, one can have no speck of imperfection. Jesus imparts this righteous perfection to the believer. God sees you through Christ.
Revelation 21:1-8 NIV
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Those who are victorious, aka all who hold their faith unto the end of their physical life, will experience the blessings and promises of God in salvation. They are truly victorious. We should mourn the soul that resisted Christ.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
In sin, we are dead. When the law of morality came into our conscience either by Spirit or Word, we died as sin took hold. It is only in Jesus Christ do we spring to life.
The unbelievers who die are held in a current state of Hell, also called Sheol or Hades in the scriptures. The events in Revelation 20 and 21 are describing the final place for Hell.
Revelation 20:12-15 NIV
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The grave/death and hades are thrown into thd lake of fire or Gehenna. This is called the second death. Some people claim this is soul annihilation. But in context, it seems to be better understood as eternal separation from God. The same idea is said for those who are without Christ. They may be living, but in sin, they are considered dead.
For those who hold to faith in Christ, their names will be found in the book of life. A volume of books contains the evil records of every sinner. Whereas one book, the book of life, only holds the names of those who put their faith either in the Messiah to come (Old Testament) or the Messiah Jesus Christ who came (New Testament). In Christ, our sins are blotted out and forgotten.
For in death, we have life, life eternal. God will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away. We may on Earth feel the need to mourn for a person's absence, but for the believer, it is victory.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.