This is a subject that there has been a great deal of false teaching about. False doctrines about the Rapture and Jesus coming back and sitting on David s literal throne in Jerusalem are unfortunately believed by many. Many fail to understand Jesus is sitting on David s throne right now. Did you know the word Rapture is not found in the KJV, ASV, NKJV, ESV, Good News Translation, NIV, NASB or the RSV of the Bible. 1
What I want to do today is look at the things that will happen to those who are alive at the 2 nd coming of Christ and those who are dead. We will begin with a study of those who are dead when Christ returns. What happens to a person once they die is a question man has asked through out his history As Christians we know and understand from the scriptures there is life after death. David makes one of the first references to life after death we have recorded in the scriptures. 2Sa 12:21 Then his servants said to him, "What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 22 And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?. 2
23 "But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." Where is it that David would be able to go to the child who died? Only in the after life or what many would call life after death. We know he was not talking about seeing him again here in this world because when we die here we are not coming back. The scriptures bear this out very plainly. First off David himself said about the child that died he shall not return to me The writer of Hebrews also makes a very definitive statement about how many times we will die physically Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, If we only die once, then the idea that we are reincarnated or have lived past lives is proven to be false by the scriptures. 3
When we die here our physical bodies return to the dust. God tells Adam about the fate of his physical body while pronouncing the curse upon him for eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Ge 3:19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." This physical life is done when we die. There is no coming back. The only thing we have ahead of us, at that point, is the life we will have after our physical death. One of the best descriptions we have of what will happen to us immediately after our death is recorded in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Jesus tells this story beginning in Luke 16:19 4
Lu 16:19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 "But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 "desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. Lu 16:22 "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 5
Lu 16:25 "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' 27 "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, Lu 16:28 'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 "And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 "But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'" 6
Lets take a look at some of the places and events that we see mentioned in this story This life: this world, where the rich man faired sumptuously and Lazarus had to beg. Death: Both men met the same fate, physical death Hades: KJV translates this as Hell but almost every other version I checked renders it Hades. Which is the realm of all the dead. Both Lazarus and the Rich Man were in Hades. Abraham s Bosom: this is the area of Hades that Lazarus was located in. This is where he was comforted. Torments: This is the area where the Rich Man was located. This was where he was tormented in the flame. Great Gulf: This is what separated Abraham s Bosom from Torments and prevented anyone from passing one to another. 7
This Life, Righteous and the Wicked D E A T H Abraham s Bosom Torments Jesus makes mention of part of Hades while He is speaking with one of the thieves on the cross next to Him. Lu 23:42 Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." 43 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. He was referring to Abraham s Bosom that we read about in Luke 16 8
It is in one of these places that all who have died are waiting for the Judgment Day. This is the day the writer of Hebrews was referring to when he said. Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, This day of Judgment for all of mankind will take place after the return of Christ. Mt 16:27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. So, the souls of those who are dead at the coming of Christ will be waiting in Hades for his return. It is at the return of Christ that all of these whether good or bad will be resurrected from the dead. Evidently some of the Corinthian Christians were struggling with the same matters we are discussing today. The Apostle Paul describes what happens to the righteous that have died at the coming of Christ in 1 Corinthians 15 9
They will be raised with a spiritual body. 1Co 15:35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain--perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. 1Co 15:39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 10
1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. The natural physical body is buried and decays. We will be raised with a new incorruptible, spiritual body. The dead will be raised with this new spiritual body and those that are alive will be changed 1Co 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Those who are alive will have their physical bodies changed instantly into an incorruptible spiritual body. 11
At this point both those who had died and those who are alive will meet Christ in the air. 1Th 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. Notice there is no mention of Christ ever setting foot on the earth again but that we will meet Him in the air. 12
We may wonder what of the wicked? will they be raised as well? Yes! All will be raised to stand judgment before God. John describes who will be raised in order to be judged. Re 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. Re 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Re 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Both the righteous and the wicked will be raised at the return of Christ in order to stand judgment before God. 13
Paul makes this point very clear. 2Co 5:9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. All men who have ever lived will stand before God and answer for their deeds done in this life on that day! The scene on Judgment Day is described for us by Jesus. Mt 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 14
Mt 25:33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; Mt 25:36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 15
Mt 25:40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; Mt 25:43 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 16
It is after this final judgment that all men will be ushered into their eternal abode. Those that have done good into Heaven for eternity Those that have done evil into Hell for eternity Our reward whether good or bad is eternal. Those who are sentenced to Hell will not get paroled or pardoned. It is an eternal sentence! This Life, Righteous and the Wicked D E A T H Abraham s Bosom J U D G M E N T Torments 17
Since this life is temporary and we only have one shot at getting it right, we should ask ourselves the same question that Peter asked in his second epistle. 2Pe 3:11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 2Pe 3:12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 18