Bible Questions and Answers

The Bible describes 3 kinds of people.  

1. THE IGNORANT - Those that do not understand or have no knowledge of the plan and purpose of the true God. These die and remain in the grave forever.

· Psalms 49:20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

· Isaiah 26:14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

· Ecclesiastes 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

In the natural order of things Adam's descendents are subject to sin and death. If they are not in covenant relationship with God, they die without hope of resurrection. They do not have immortal souls which live on after death.

· Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

In death there is no consciousness existence.

· Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing...

· Psalms 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

When Noah and his family came out of the Ark they all knew God and his purpose. As the generations came and went they did not retain God in their minds but made themselves idols.

· Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. As a consequence they and their offspring went to the grave with no hope of resurrection, as they still do today. 

2. THE UNJUST - Those that understand and know the plan and purpose of the true God and come into covenant relationship with him and then fall away and live sinful lives. These will be resurrected at the resurrection of the unjust. They will see the kingdom that they refused and be condemned to die again. This is called the second death. 

3. THE JUST - Those that understand and know the plan and purpose of the true God and come into covenant relationship with him and live lives that are acceptable to him. These will be resurrected at the resurrection of the just. They will be given eternal life and inherit the earth and the kingdom of God.

· Luke 14:14... thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Those that die in ignorance will not be raised but there will be a resurrection of both the JUST and the UNJUST.

· Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

· Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

· John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The 'all' here is not to be understood as 'everyone' but rather everyone that is responsible. Jesus describes the scenario to the Jews.

· Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

The Judgment of the just and the unjust is described in the parable of the sheep and goats.

· Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

· Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels

This is is the same judgment that takes place at the end of the millennium described in Revelation 20.

· Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation is a book of symbol. The lake of fire is not literal; it is said to represent the second death which means that the unjust having been raised from the dead will die a second time. Their mode of death may well be by fire from God.

There is no everlasting physical torment involved because those that are dead have no conscious existence. The second death is complete destruction. (You will notice also that the oft-touted place of eternal torment - hell - and the said tormentor himself, of popular Christian mythology, is also destroyed in the same lake of fire).

Those that overcome (live lives acceptable to Christ) will not die a second time.

· Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

The just that are raised at the beginning of the millennium will not die a second time.

· Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

At the end of the thousand years only the 'just' rewarded with immortality will live on.

· 1 Corinthians 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

This will be the fulfilment of God's declared intention.

· Numbers 14:21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

I hope this helps.
Glenn Smith