Click here for more messages from the Biblical Foundations series.
Click here for the NAE Statement of Faith
Click here to return to the Sermons page.

“We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.”

INTRODUCTION: Today is week six in our series on Biblical Foundations. In the past five weeks we have looked at what the Scriptures say about the Bible, God, Jesus, salvation and the Holy Spirit. Today we see what the Bible says about the resurrection, and next week we will finish up the series as we look at what the Bible says about the church. (Read John 5:28-30 and pray.)

————————

One of the great truths of the Bible is that human life does not end at death. This one truth changes everything.

It changes our priorities. If this life is all there is, then that’s where you are going to put all your energy. But if there is life after death, and your current life is brief in comparison, then it makes sense to invest your resources in the eternal life to come rather than here on earth.

It changes the moral decisions we make. If there was no life after death, and therefore no final judgment, we might be tempted to make our choices based on what feels best to us rather than according to what is fair and right. But if there is life after death, and we are accountable to God for our choices, then we had better be careful about the decisions we make.

It changes our attitude towards death. If there was no life after death, then death would be the most bitter pill to swallow. Death would mark the final separation of family members and loved ones. Death would snuff out our very existence, all of our dreams, memories and cherished beliefs. But if there is life after death, and that life is good, then we can face death unafraid, and we can find hope and comfort knowing that we will see our loved ones again.

The Biblical truth that there is life after death changes everything. And it should especially change our attitude towards God—for God is the giver of life, both earthly and eternal. God is the one who will judge our lives one day. And God is the one who will ultimately decide our eternal destiny. How dare we ignore him or set him aside in our lives?

There are parts of today’s message that are not easy for me to preach or for you to hear. But I urge you to listen carefully, because this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where it all comes together. The stakes are infinitely high, and your life hangs in the balance. If you miss this, you miss everything. You have an eternal destiny, and that changes everything.

Let’s take a look now at the portion of our statement of faith dealing with the resurrection: “We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.”

I. Each person’s eternal destiny is sealed by death
      – 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 9:27

The first thing we should consider when we look at what the Bible says about the resurrection is that each person’s eternal destiny is sealed by death. Hebrews 9:27 says this: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb. 9:27). You can’t get much clearer than that—one death, and then judgment.

This is a vitally important truth which flies in the face of many other religious teachings and philosophies.

• Materialism believes in one death but teaches that death is the end and that there is no judgment or afterlife.
• Universalism agrees with materialism on one death and no judgment (at least, no final judgment), but teaches there is an afterlife, and that all of us will enter that perfect afterlife together, regardless of how we lived here on earth.
• Eastern religions believe in many deaths. They call this reincarnation, where there is a continual cycle of life and death until you learn the lessons you are supposed to learn or just finally get it right.
• Christian Science teaches that there is no death, that death is an illusion along with sickness, evil and sin.
• And then there are those who teach that you only die once, but then you get a second chance after death, perhaps the opportunity to work off some of the bad things you did, sort of like a divine detention hall before you enter the glories of heaven.

But the Bible is inarguably clear on this point. There are no second chances. Each person’s eternal destiny is sealed by physical death. You die once, and then you face judgment.

I don’t know of any other truth that adds such urgency to life. I don’t understand the attitude of people who say, “I don’t have time for God right now. I have some things I need to take care of first. I can always make things right with God later on.”

When I was born, I received a birth certificate with a date on it. I don’t know anyone who gets their death certificate in advance. Some people may choose to pre-order or pre-engrave their gravestone, but they never have that final date etched in until after they die.

I have seen elderly persons die after living good, long healthy lives, and I have seen children die in infancy. I have seen teens killed in car accidents and a seemingly healthy forty-year-old man drop dead from a sudden heart attack.

The point is this. None of us ever has a claim on tomorrow or even the next hour or minute. Your eternal destiny is sealed by death, and you do not know when death will come knocking at your door. How foolish not to get things right with God now while you may. This is why the Bible says: “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).

If you do not belong to Jesus Christ, then you are not yet ready to die. And as someone once said, “Until you are ready to die, you are not yet ready to live.” If you have never come to Jesus Christ for salvation, if you have never committed your life to him, then I urge you not to waste another day. Why delay? “Man is appointed to die once and after that to face judgment.” Each person’s eternal destiny is sealed by death.

II. Bodily resurrection and divine judgment for all
      – Proverbs 5:21; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 12:36, 25:34,41; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; Romans 3:19; Philippians 3:21; Hebrews 4:13; Revelation 20:11-12,15

But death is not the end, because there is a resurrection to come. That’s the second thing we want to talk about today. The Bible speaks of bodily resurrection and divine judgment for all.

Let’s talk about bodily resurrection first. Several weeks ago, when we looked at what the Bible teaches about Jesus, we saw that Jesus rose bodily from the grave. We know that it was his same body that was raised because when the disciples went to the tomb, the tomb was empty. The body was gone. And yet it was a different body in some ways too. It was a glorified body that would never die again.

The Bible teaches that believers in Christ also will enjoy a physical resurrection. If you belong to Christ, when you die, your spirit goes directly to be with God in heaven. Your physical body remains behind for a season. But at the resurrection God will raise your body from the grave. And just like Jesus, it will be your body, and yet different. Philippians 3:21 says that Christ “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). And so, you also will receive a glorified, resurrection body, no longer subject to the ravages of sin and sickness and death.

Now many people are familiar with this biblical teaching that believers in Christ will be raised from the dead. What a lot of people do not know is that the Bible tells us that non-believers will also experience a bodily resurrection. That’s what our statement faith says also: “We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost.”

Acts 24:15 says: “There will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked” (Acts 24:15). Daniel 12:2 puts it this way: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2). Or listen to Jesus’ words in John 5. Jesus said: “A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear [my] voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28-29). Christ will raise both the righteous and the wicked, both the believer and the non-believer. All will be raised, and all will be judged.

The Bible speaks of two types of judgment. There is a judgment of works, and a judgment of salvation. No one is exempt from either judgment. All persons will be held accountable before God for the life they have lived and the choices they have made.

In the judgment of works God will evaluate your life according to your deeds. Nothing will be left out. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36: “Men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matt. 12:36). All those things you thought were hidden or covered up or no one knew about will be exposed to the light.

Hebrews 4:13 says: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). Proverbs 5:21 says: “For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths” (Prov. 5:21).

And so, your entire life will be up for review. It will all be there—the good, the bad and the ugly. Romans 3:19 says that “every mouth [will] be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God” (Rom. 3:19) In other words, you and I will have nothing to say in our defense. Our sin will speak for itself. Even the fast talkers of this world will be left speechless on that day.

Then, after the judgment of works comes the judgment of salvation. This one is easy. There is a book of life with a list of names written in it. The book of life will be opened, and if your name is written inside, Jesus will say to you: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). But if your name is not found written in the book of life, Jesus will say to you: “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).

We read about these two judgments—the judgment of works and the judgment of salvation—in Revelation 20. The apostle John writes: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 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 [the judgment of works] … If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire [the judgment of salvation]” (Rev. 20:11-12,15).

So, we need to understand that when the Bible speaks of bodily resurrection and judgment, it is speaking about all of us. Everyone will be raised bodily from the dead, and everyone will appear before God for judgment.

III. Eternal punishment or eternal life
      – Matthew 25:46; John 3:18,36; Acts 16:31; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Revelation 21:3-4

That judgment before God will result in either eternal punishment or eternal life. Look at our statement of faith on the resurrection again: “We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.” There are only two options available after death, either eternal punishment or eternal life.

The Bible does not speak of either purgatory or limbo, both of which are pictured as sort of halfway houses between heaven and hell. Purgatory is supposed to be a place of temporary punishment where you finish paying off the penalty for your sins before entering heaven. The concept of limbo was developed in the Middle Ages but never clearly defined. Limbo was pictured as a place for infants who died before they had a chance to develop an awareness of God or sin. Theologians figured such infants couldn’t go to heaven because of their original sin nature, but neither could they go to hell because they had never personally sinned. And so, they postulated “limbo,” a place somewhere in between, a place free from both the joys of heaven and the pains of hell. (Personally, I believe every child who dies in infancy goes to be with Christ in heaven.) But the Bible says absolutely nothing about a purgatory or a limbo. The Bible teaches there are two options and two options only: eternal punishment or eternal life.

What is eternal punishment? Eternal punishment is exactly what it sounds like. It means physical punishment for sin that is unending and unrelenting. It is what the Bible calls “the lake of fire.” This is not an easy teaching of the Bible, and we often struggle with it even as Christians. We don’t like the thought of eternal punishment.

Some people in the church have tried to soften this teaching by replacing it with a different teaching called “annihilation.” They teach that the non-believer does not suffer eternal conscious punishment for their sins, but rather at some point the person is simply annihilated, snuffed out, removed from existence. But that’s not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches eternal punishment or eternal life.

Matthew 25 pictures the righteous and the unrighteous standing before God’s judgment throne. The unrighteous are separated from the righteous, and then Jesus says: “They will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). Notice that Jesus uses the same word “eternal” to describe both the fate of the righteous and the wicked. How long will the wicked endure punishment? For the same duration that the righteous enjoy eternal life.

The thought of annihilation is horrible enough, and yet it pales in comparison to the thought of a punishment that never ends. We do not understand the necessity of eternal punishment because we do not understand the infinite holiness and majesty of God. The only just punishment for sinning against an infinitely holy God is an infinite punishment, a punishment that never ends. The thought of eternal punishment staggers the heart and mind, and well it should. We rarely think or talk about it because it is almost unbearable even to consider. But if it is that difficult even to think about, how much worse will it be for those who actually experience it?

I believe that if we truly knew how lost we are without Christ, we would all come running to Jesus for salvation without any delay—that we would embrace the gospel of Christ for the good news that it truly is. We are terribly, desperately lost, but God has provided a way of salvation through Jesus Christ. What could be better news than that?

Many of you have lost loved ones to cancer. I know I have. How many times have you thought how wonderful it would be if someone actually discovered a cure for cancer? Cancer is a terrible disease that affects so many people. And yet sin is infinitely worse, and it affects us all. God has provided the cure for sin. That is wonderful news! It is the best news you could possibly hear! The only reason people do not joyfully embrace it as good news is that they do not believe that they are so terribly lost.

We need Christ for salvation. John 3:18 says: “Whoever believes in [Christ] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18). The wages of sin is death: physical death, spiritual death, and eternal death. And eternal death means eternal punishment for our sin.

On the other hand, there is eternal life. Eternal life stands in stark contrast to eternal punishment. Eternal life means eternal fellowship and communion with our great God and Creator and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

I love the description of eternal life that we find in Revelation 21: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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” (Rev. 21:3-4).

Life without sickness, sadness or pain; life uninterrupted by death; life full of love, peace, purity and joy—this is the sure and certain hope of every believer. When our loved ones in Christ die, we do not “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him … After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess.4:13-17).

How do you receive this wonderful gift of eternal life? You trust yourself to Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins—in your place. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

John 3:36 says: “Whoever believes in the Son [of God] has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36). There are only two options after death for everyone: eternal life for those who believe in Christ, and eternal punishment for those who do not.

CONCLUSION: Each person’s eternal destiny is sealed by death and then determined by God at the day of judgment. Do you know what God will say to you on that day?

Let me tell you right now, no one is going to pass the judgment according to works. None of us. We have all sinned, and when your entire life is reviewed from beginning to end, you will have plenty of sin to account for. So don’t pin your hopes on the judgment of works. Look instead to the judgment of salvation.

Remember, the judgment of salvation is not based on works. It is based only on whether or not your name is found written in the book of life. That’s it! And when you learn that everyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire, there should only be one question on your mind: “How do I make sure my name is written in that book?”

Fortunately, God has told us the answer to that most important of questions. When you trust Jesus as your Savior, your name is written into the book of life: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

As we said at the beginning of the message today, the fact that human life continues after death changes everything. It changes our priorities, it changes the decisions we make, it changes our attitude towards death. And it should especially change your attitude towards God.

Choose sin over God, and you choose eternal punishment. Choose Christ, and you choose eternal life. Let me encourage you to choose Christ today.

© Ray Fowler

You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this message provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For any web postings, please link to the sermon directly at this website.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copies:
By Ray Fowler. © Ray Fowler. Website: https://www.rayfowler.org

Click here for more messages from the Biblical Foundations series.
Click here for the NAE Statement of Faith
Click here to return to the Sermons page.