What about death?

By Rushambwa Tawonga.
1.) What was the plan for the creation of man? Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 2.) How was man created? Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

BODY+BREATH OF LIFE= LIVING SOUL.

What did Joshua and the Israelites did unto the nations commanded them to destroy?
Jos 11:10 And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword. For Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. Jos 11:11 And they struck every soul in it with the edge of the sword, destroying them. And he left none breathing. And he burned Hazor with fire. Jos 10:28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah and struck it with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed the king of it, them, and every soul in it. He let none remain. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he did to the king of Jericho. Jos 10:30 And Jehovah delivered it also, and its king, into the hand of Israel. And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every soul in it. He let none remain in it, but did to its king as he did to the king of Jericho. Jos 10:32 And Jehovah delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every soul in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah. Thus these verses which we have taken randomly from the Book of Joshua shows us clearly that here when the word, "Soul" is rendered it clearly refers to a human being, a living person whom we've said above is a combination of Body of Dust of the ground and the Breath of life, the life giving element imparted by God. Thus when God says all souls are mine, He is refering to the person and not the spirit, see Ezekiel 18vs 410.

3.) Is man the only creature formed in this way?

Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Like man all the other creatures were formed from the dust of the ground, thus one of the common things between man and the other creatures is that, they are both of the dust. MAN= BEAST( OTHER CREATURES)= DUST 4.) What about the breath of life, do other creatures have the same breath?
Gen 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. Gen 6:19 And of

every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Thus it is the body and the breath of life, or spirit which defines a living thing, other creatures like man are living things by virtue of them having the body of dust and the breath of life, Gen 7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: Gen 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. Gen 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. Accordingly man and beast have the same component that defines them as living things, the breath of life. Man and beast have the same body and the same breath of life, ie they were both formed from the same basic components, the difference being that man was created in the image of God, endowed with dominion and made to rule over the created earth and all the beasts.

Ecc 3:17 I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. Ecc 3:18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of sons of men, that God might reveal them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. Ecc 3:19 For that which happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts, even one thing happens to them. As this one dies, so that one dies; yea, they all have one breath; so that a man has no advantage over a beast; for all is vanity. Ecc 3:20 All go to one place; all are of the dust, and all return to dust again. The Kohelet raised a number of important matters relating to the life of the children of men on the earth, these, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked. Concerning the matter or estate(according to the KJV) of the sons of men, that like beasts, they die in the same manner That which befalls the beasts befalls the children of men As one dies,so dies the other All are of the dust and turn to dust again. What then happens at death or what is death? Ecc 12:5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

The Kohelets mentions that, desire fails at death, meaning man will no longer be able to desire anythingor long for anything when they die, or when they used to be able to do so, for now they are no longer able, or every plan that they used to have is now perished with them. Death entitle us to the long home, or the grave or hell in Greek=Sheol meaning grave (see Job 11:8) The dust or the composition of the body returns to the dust as it was-the body part. The spirit returns to God who gave it, remember we learned that this was the life giving element that God breathed into man's nostrills and it gave life to the body and defined the composition of it ie Body+Breath of life a living soul (or in Shona mweya mupenyu)

The body without the spirit or the breath of life is dead

Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. We learn from this portion of Scripture that death is the result of the separation of the body and the spirit, there is nothing that remain existing, the life giving element returns to God Who gave it. In the beginning Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

When Adam and Eve had sinned and disobeyed God, they were sent out of the garden, and God passed them a judgement that was the consequence of their disobedience. Death was the consequence of disobedience, a sure death.

At Creation "God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Gen_2:7). The Creation account reveals that humanity derived life from God (cf. Act_17:25, Act_17:28; Col_1:16-17). The corollary of this basic fact is that immortality is not innate to humanity but God's gift. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them free will-the power of choice. They could obey or disobey, and their continued existence depended upon continual obedience through God's power. So their possession of the gift of immortality was conditional. God carefully spelled out the condition upon which they would forfeit this gift-eating of "'the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.'" God warned them, when "'you eat of it you shall surely die'" (Gen_2:17).
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Psa 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Psa 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The psalmist acknowledges that when the breath of man is taken, he dies so death is a result of the separation of the body and the spirit, or as the Psalmist and the bible puts it-the breath of life.

What is the condition of the dead?

Ecc 9:3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. Ecc 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. There is one event common to all things or men or living things on the earth. The kohelet says that, evil is in the heart of men while they live and even madness, ie they have power to exercise they chices and do all they can while they live, but after that, ie after life or when they die they go to the dead. Hope exists only among those who are living, the dead do not hope for anything. The living have a knowledge of their future, but the dead know not anything, they no longer have anything to do with anything which is done under the sun. So the Kohelet counsells us to do whatsoever our hands findeth to do and to do it with all our might, because there is no work nor knowledge in the grave which death entitles us to.

Psa 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. Psa 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Psa 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. Psa 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. Isa 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Isa 38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. Isa 38:19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. Death is an unconscious sleep, there is no activity when man die. Hezekiah thanked God that He had given him another opportunity to rejoice and praise Him in the land of the living. Psa 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Psa 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

What does Job says of death?

Job 14:5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

When the days of men are fulfilled, as we have learned in Psalms 104:29, God takes His life giving principle and man dies, these are the appointed bounds that one cannot pass. Compare with the death of Moses (Deutronomy 34), the death of Jacob (Genesis 49). Job contrasts man's life with that of a tree
Job 14:7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Job 14:8 Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Job 14:9 Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. The he says of men Job 14:10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? Job 14:12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. Job 14:13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Job 14:15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. Job like all the other believers knew the plan God had for those who belived in Him, and he knew definitely what happens when he dies. A look at the book of Job verses, 12, 14 and 15. #Man remains in that state of unconsciousness till, till the heavens be no more till his change come till God sha call him. We learn from the Bible that, The heavens will be no more at Christ's second Advent. Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

We shall be changed at His coming, the righteous and believing dead will be resurrected and the living righteous will be translated. 1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. The Thessalonian Christians were losing hope as they witnessed their fellow believers die as it seemed to them so hopeless andd Christ had not yet returned, and they though that such hope had perished for they believing companions. So Paul sent this message to show unto them the truth regarding the resurrection the hope that the resurrection brings for the Christians. 1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. The dead will be resurrected incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. What did Jesus say of Death? Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. When we believe the message of the gospel and accept Jesus into our lives, we become entitled to eternal life, we have passed from death unto life. I usually like giving the example of a cheque, when one is given a cheque say for R30,000, he/she becomes entitled to recieve an amout of that magnitude, meaning from that time they have the R30,000 cheque they have a value of wealth up to and including that value. But a cheque has specific rules regarding its handling, for instance one cannot cash in a cheque to pay for say transport fees but has to first deposit the cheque into a bank account and then after specified days are fulfilled they can then be able to withdraw and use the proceeds of the cheque. So it is with eternal life, we become entitled to it when we believe and accept Jesus into our lives, and while we wait for Him we still have eternal life, even if i die let me say sleep today, I'm still entitled to the eternal life. In God's sight i am alive because i have eternal life. Just as in the cheque example all this time i will be waiting for the cheque to materialize, still i am rich to the value of that cheque even though i can be as broke as having a zero balance in my wallet. So when we believe and accept Jesus into our lives we literally pass from death unto life, that is why it is precious to God when His saints or thosewho have believed die, they live to Him because they have eternal life. Psa 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. The voice of the Archangel will call the saints and they will rise up immortal and incorruptible in other words no longer subject to sin and death Jesus is the Archangel

Jud 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. it is the voice of the Archangel that raises people the dead and gathers the elect of God at the second advent of Christ. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: but it is the voice of Jesus which resurrects the sleeping saints and gathers all the redeemed together at His coming, Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.Joh 5:29 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. Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, So Jesus is the Archangel who calls to raise the sleeping saints. He exercised this power before the disciples when He resurrected Lazarus,, Joh 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.Joh 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. But when is this resurrection or when is this going to happen? Job has showed us that it will be at the time when the heavens will be no more and we have learned that this will be the time when Jesus comes again the second time. Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. it is the will of God that Jesus should raise the sleeping saints and take them to God, so beautiful are the promises which God wants to fulfill for humanity through Jesus, we have learnt that, the death of the saints is precious in God's sight, because it is His will that at the last day they will be resurrected according to His will, and where will they go when they are resurrected. Jesus has all the answers for the believers. Joh 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. When Jesus died, He was for three days in the grave and was resurrected on the third day, and when He had aweken He testified to Mary that he had not yet ascended unto God and bade her that she was to go and tell the disciples that he was ascending to God, thus after the manner of Christ that after resurrection that when the saints will ascend with Him into heaven,all this is according to the will of God. Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. The will be resurrected and go to the Father in whose house Jesus had promised are many mansions, and was going to prepare a place for the believers. For this reason, the believers are always living before God even if they should die, or fall into the deathless state or the unconsciousness sleep, but because they have eternal life they are always living before God, thus Jesus was right in attibuting to that God is a God of the living, no wonder He caan say that, "I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob". When we know they are literally dead but they live to God because they have eternal life.

Mat 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. There is a possibility that many of us will die before Jesus returns but let us rejoice even in death, for at the trumpet sound on the soon coming last great day we shall all be resurrected and live together with Jesus. Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Believers will be raised first at the second advent of Jesus and they will ascend together with the translated living righteous, to heaven. And according to the scriptures they will live and rule or reign with Christ, a thousand years. Note that inorder for there to be judgement there must be those to whom Judgement is to be rendered, thus at this time the saints will be in heaven with Christ, but the scripture has put it clearer that the rest of the dead did not rise until the thousand years were expired. The are the ones to whom the judgement now in the jurisdiction of the saints is to be rendered, thus the judgement of the unbelievers will be the work of the saints together with Christ during the 1000years the Saints will be with Christ in heaven, no wonder Paul the Apostle says, 1Co 6:2 Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 1Co 6:3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels, not to mention the things of this life? Thus the resurrected and the translated saints will be responsible for the judgement of the believers. This clearly shows us that right now as Jesus is still in the heavens, He is presenting the cases of the professed people of God, those who have believed. The Bible says that, Blessed are they who take part in the first resurrection for to such the second death has no power, but they will reign with Christ.Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years. The second death has no authority over such, they have eternal life and are subject to death not anymore, but death willbe the portion of those who did not accept the proffered salvation through the transforming power of the Gospel. Remember at the beginning of the mellinium, ie the 1000 years, which begin with the second advent of Jesus, satan will be bound for a thousand years to the bottomless pit, see Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (Abyss according to the Mordern King james Version).Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. The Phrase "Bottomless Pit" refers to a desolate wilderness, a formless and deserted or void place. We then ask does this kind of place exist on the earth where the devil will be bound until as the scripture puts it the 1000 years be fulfilled. A few verses showing us the events to take place connected with the second advent of Jesus.

1. According to Jesus, He said that when He shall come He will come with terrible glory and majesty, specifically His Glory he said will be be threefold. Luk 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. He will come with the glory of His own glory In His Father's glory The Holy Angel #Lets inquire into how are these three glories manifested. 1.) According to the account of the transfiguration on the mount we learn that the glory of Jesus is as the sun shining in its full strength. Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 2.) The glory of the Father is as a devouring fire Exo 24:16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Exo 24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. Dan 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. Dan 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Psa 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. Psa 50:4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. The glory of God manifests itself as a destroying fire, with earthquakes and terribleness, that will render the earth desolate and leave it a barren place and an uninhabited wilderness. 3.) Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: When Angels manifests their glory, earthquakes result and they cause great lightnings, thus these threefold glories will have an effect on the earth when Jesus comes again. How many angels does He says He will bring with Him? Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, Mat 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: Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. The fact that Jesus brings with Him all the heavenly angels to the earth accounts for the silence in heaven for the half hour in the last verse. In prophecy a day=a year meaning an hour wil give 15 days, whilst 30 minutes will give about 7 days, so according to Revelation 8 verse 1, for 7 days there will be silence in heaven for that space of time. What will be the affect of these glories on the earth, that of the Father, of His own and that of the Angels which Jesus will bring with Him when He comes?

2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 2Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. The glory of Jesus will slay those who rejected the message of the gospel and were not transformed by it, thus the first effect of this glory will be to slay the rejecters of the proffered salvation of God through the message of the everlasting gospel. Thus when Jesus comes the living unrighteous, filthy and wicked will be killed by the brightness of the glory of the Lord's coming, and they will join the wicked dead, whilst the righteous dead will be resurrected to join the righteous living who will be translated to endure the brightness of the glory with which Jesus comes and they will join with the Lord Jesus in the Clouds. The next effect of the threefold glory of Jesus will be manifested upon the earth. 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, The prophet Jeremiah in vision was shown the state of the earth after the great day of our Lord, He says, Jer 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. Jer 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. Jer 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. Jer 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. Jer 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. Thus according to the Bible as we have seen, it will be upon this earth which shall be turned into a desolate wilderness at the Second Coming of Jesus by His glory, where the devil will be bound for a thousand years which shall commence at that day Jesus comes to take His beloved home. Also when one considers the Genesis 1 verse 2, it becomes evident that, the earth will be the bottomless Island spoken here of, Gen 1:2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Thus at the commencement of the 1000 years, when the saints will be beginning their vacation in heaven, the devil will be confined to the desolate earth, with all the wicked dead during these thousand years, he will be having no one to decieve. But after the end of the 1000 years, the saints will return again to the earth with Jesus for the finishing of the the work of the gospel, see John 3 verse 16 Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. So lets finish our discussion by looking at the events which occur after the 1000 years. At the close of the 1000 years, Jesus and the redeemed prepare to return to the earth, they are returning to take their possession of the new earth as God promised them, the earth is to be made new for their permanent home throughout eternity, through ceaseless ages they will inhabit the recreated earth.

Isa 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain. Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah. Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. The fact that there is supposed to be a new heaven and a new earth, means that there is something that has to happen to the first heaven and earth, we now consider events that occur at the close of the thousand years as Jesus revealed the future to John. Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: Rev 21:4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof. Rev 21:23 And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb. Rev 21:27 and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life. John saw the new heaven and the new earth in a vision, this means that the first heaven and the first earth had passed away or were removed for there to be a new one. The new heaven and the new earth will have a population of people composed of only those who have their names written in the book of life, this is the book we have seen earlier that it determined those who were to redeemed at the Second advent of Christ, this second advent marked the commencement of the thousand years, and we learnt that the rest of the dead did not rise until the end of the thousand years, some verses will shed enough light on the subject. Ecc 3:17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, Joh 5:29 and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. Act 24:15 having hope toward God, which these also themselves look for, that there shall be a resurrection both of the just and unjust. 2Pe 3:7 but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. So we understand from these lines from the scriptures that there shall be a resurrection of the unjust dead, since we have learned and understood how that righteous and just dead were resurrected and translated to heaven when Jesus returned the second time, then we now look at how the unjust dead will be resurrected after the 1000 years. At the end of the thousand years, Jesus and the redeemed return to the earth in the new Jerusalem, this is the time where John says that he saw the holy city coming out of heaven prepared as a bride. Rev 20:5 The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection. Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. According to these verses, the rest of the dead would live but after the end of the 1000 years, and evidently over these the second death has power, they will be resurrected for final judgement and destruction before God recreates the new heavens and the new earth. At the time they shall be

resurrected the bible says that satan will be loosed out of his prison and will go out to decieve them like what he always did before thet 1000 years, and evidently he decieves them and mobilizes them to take over the Holy city, as the next verse evidently teaches, Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, Rev 20:8 and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.Rev 20:9 And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them At the end of the thousand years, the new Jesus will return with the redeemed in the new Jerusalem, and again His voice will give a resurrection call to the unjust dead, and they will rise to face their final judgement. It is not God's will to destroy people, what God wants to do is to purify the earth and the heavens of all sin and uncleanliness and create a new paradise where the redeemed will live life everlasting, but God in destroying sin will destroy everything that will contain it and hence, those whose lives were not transformed to godliness by the message of the gospel which they rejected and followed a course of worldliness, these will be those who are resurrected here for destruction. God will reveal to them all that He undertook for their salvation, all the opportunity He filled their lives with to transform and accept the message of the gospel, everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected, even those who have died in water, in fire or those who have been cremeted, the fire shall disclose them, and they shall be shown the course of life they have followed, every word they spoke, and all the aspects of their lives that made their lives not fit for the eternal life which they so slighted, and people shall weep and bear shame of their lives but they will not repent, why?, it is only the presence of the Holy Spirit that makes people to repent when He speaks to their conscience, but during this time there won't be that spirit to aweken repentance and lead people to accept God and have their lives renewed, the life time opportunity he gave them upon the earth has long been ended and now they await their judgement. The devil will decieve them again and gather them to battle, as they count themselves many, they prepare to conquer the New Jerusalem, the camp of the saints, and they compass the camp or surround it but God intervenes for the final delieverance of His people, fire came down from heaven and devoured them. This fire rains from heaven and becomes a lake of fire which shall burn and destroy everything and melt the elements thereof and reduce to complete ashes, everything with sin in it, people shall be destroyed in the body in which they committed their sins and they shall perish and be reduced to ashes, only the righteous shall escape those who will be in the new Jerusalem, they will be protected by the grace of God, and God will keep them from the fate to which the whole world will be subjected unto. Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem; Isa 4:4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning. Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall. Mal 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts. 2Pe 3:5 For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God; 2Pe 3:6 by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 2Pe 3:7 but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of

ungodly men. 2Pe 3:8 But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2Pe 3:11 Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, 2Pe 3:12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 2Pe 3:13 But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. We remember the account of the Flood, in Genesis 6-8, in this account we are told that Noah, his family and the animals God had brought into the ark went into the ark at the command of God, see Genesis 7vs 5-7, and after 7 days came the waters of the flood, the bible says that the deep broke forth, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the earth 40 days and 40 night, during which time those in the ark were protected by God from the judgement which the world was experiencing, thus it shall be at when God will destroy the world this time there shall be a lake of life just like how the world then was turned into a compacted water mass, so shall it be at that day. When you sit down to think that through geography, we study that, there is fire and molten rock deep under the earth and various gases, these shall as in the days of the flood break forth out of the deep and fire will come also from heaven and the whole earth will become an ocean of fire that will completely reduce everything to ashes and purify the earth and the heavens, everywhere where the works of men were made manifest, will be purified with fire. Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. Rev 20:14 And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. Rev 20:15 And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. Thus it is people do not immediately go to heaven when they die, and there is no part of the body which continues to survive in immortal bliss when a person dies, but there is death and a waiting for the decisions regarding our eternal prospects in the future, which is then entirely in the hands of the heavenly courts, says the apostle Heb 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment; Heb 9:28 so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation.

Written by Elder Rushambwa T