The purpose of the Church.
“The Four Last Things”.
In Christian eschatology, the Four Last Things or four last things of man (Latin: quattuor novissima) are Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell, the four last stages of the soul in life and the afterlife.
Martin of Cochem explains that "there are three principal reasons why all sensible people fear death so much:
First, because the love of life, the dread of death is inherent in human nature.
Secondly, because every rational being is well aware that death is bitter, and the separation of soul and body cannot take place without inexpressible suffering.
Thirdly, because no one knows whither he will go after death, or how he will stand in the Day of Judgment."
Romans 5:12.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned.
Genesis 3:22-24.
And the Lord God said, The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.
So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Hebrews 4:14-15.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Psalm 116:15.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
1 Thessalonians 5:23.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.
May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades describe the same place.
“Sheol” means place of the departed dead and it appears 65 times in the Old Testament and the KJV translates it as follows.
31 times it is translated “HELL”
31 times it is translated “GRAVE”
3 times it is translated “PIT”
Luke 16:22-23.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died and was buried; And in hell (Hades in Greek) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Matthew 23:33.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell (Gehenna in Greek)?
2 Peter 2:4.
For if God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to hell (Tartarus in Greek), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.
Three different words, three different places translated Hell.
HELL
Firstfruits of 1st Resurrection
Matthew 27:51-53.
Ephesians 4:8-10.
2nd Resurrection
2nd Resurrection
Ephesians 4:8-10.
When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people. What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.
Paradise once separated from the presence of God and part of Hades was now relocated as sin was “Judged” at Calvary.
Matt 16 v 18
On this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell (HADES) will not prevail against it.
Revelation 1:18.
I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Hebrews 6 v 1 to 3.
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of Repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.
Understanding the Doctrines of the Resurrection of the dead and Judgement that awaits each one of us is crucial as a Christian and it helps one to understand future events more clearly.
Hebrews 9:27.
It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
CAESAR BORGIA—
Italian nobleman, politician, and cardinal:
“While I lived, I provided for everything but death; now I must die and am unprepared to die”.
THOMAS HOBBS—Political philosopher:
“I say again, if I had the whole world at my disposal, I would give it to live one day. I am about to take a leap into the dark”.
THOMAS PAINE.
The leading atheistic writer in American colonies:
“Stay with me, for God's sake; I cannot bear to be left alone , O Lord, help me! O God, what have I done to suffer so much?
What will become of me hereafter? I would give worlds if I had them, that The Age of Reason had never been published. 0 Lord, help me! Christ, help me!
No, don't leave; stay with me! Send even a child to stay with me; for I am on the edge of hell here alone. If ever the Devil had an agent, I have been that one.”
SIR THOMAS SCOTT.
Chancellor of England:
“Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell.
Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”
Famous anti-Christian atheist:
“ I have swallowed nothing but smoke. I have intoxicated myself with the incense that turned my head. I am abandoned by God and man”.
He said to his physician, Dr. Fochin:
“I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months of life”.
When he was told this was not possible, he said
“Then I shall die and go to hell”!
His nurse said:
For all the money in Europe I wouldn’t want to see another unbeliever die! All night long he cried for forgiveness.
ROBERT INGERSOLL.
American writer and orator during the Golden Age of Free Thought:
"O God, if there be a God, save my soul, if I have a soul!"
ANTON LEVEY.
Author of the Satanic Bible and high priest of the religion dedicated to the worship of Satan.
One of his famous quotes was:
“There is a beast in man that needs to be exercised, not exorcised”.
His dying words were:
“Oh my, oh my, what have I done, there is something very wrong. . . there is something very wrong.”
THE APOSTLE PAUL:
“O death, where is thy sting?”
KING DAVID:
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no Evil.”
Lastly, JESUS CHRIST said:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth on Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
I have heard different ministers speak on this passage and I know we can extract different truths from the same passage, but my persuasion is that Jesus wept not because Lazarus died
(He was going to raise him to life and had purposely delayed coming until he had been dead for 3 days)
I believe that Jesus wept because they did not see beyond the grave.
Although we grieve at the death of a child of God, we do not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope.
Death for the child of God is rest, falling asleep in Jesus.
Luke 12:4-9.
I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.
Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Daniel:12 v 2.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
There are two resurrections
The 1st Resurrection has 3 phases just like the Jewish harvest had 3 phases
Revelation 20 v 4, 5 & 6.
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or hands.
They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended)
Revelation 20:4-6.
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection.
The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
We see from Scripture that there will be resurrections of both the righteous and unrighteous.
This doesn’t mean, however, that there will only be two resurrections in number, just that there are two types of resurrections:
Now although what we have just read about in Revelation 20 v 4 is the “First Resurrection, it is the final phase of the first Resurrection, the gleanings.
Leviticus 19 v 9.
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
The Jewish harvest phases.
The first fruits.
Matthew 27:51-53.
The main harvest.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
The gleanings.
Revelation 20:4-6.
1 Corinthians15:20-26 &35-38.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the Firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the Firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
1 Corinthians15:20-26 &35-38.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death….
But someone will ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come? How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
Leviticus 23:4-14.
The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them:
When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.
He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
The Feast of First-fruits, on the 17th day of Nisan, was a celebration of the harvest, when a sheaf representing the very first of the harvest was waved before the Lord, as a symbolic gesture that dedicated the coming harvest to Him.
Jesus is referred to as First Fruits.
But He is also our High Priest and the High Priest presented a First Fruit offering before God, likewise Jesus presented the First Fruits of the 1st Resurrection to God.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Order of events.
10th Nissan Palm Sunday
14th Nissan Passover lamb killed
15th Nissan High Sabbath
16th Nissan weekly Sabbath
17th Nissan Resurrection Sunday
& Feast of First fruits
As High Priest Jesus had a duty
to perform
(The Wave Offering of The Firstfruits)
Leviticus 23 v 10 to 11
Matthew 27 v 50 to 53
John 20:17.
(DRA)
Jesus saith to her: Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.
(KJV)
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father:
John 20:24-27.
Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore
said to him, We have seen the Lord.
So he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.
And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace to you!
Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.
Jesus appears to Thomas.
Matthew 27:51-53.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
The First Phase of the Jewish Harvest.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17.
For 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.
According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
The second Phase of the Jewish Harvest.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
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.
The main harvest.
1 Corinthians 15 v 51 & 52.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Leviticus 19:9-10.
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.
The Third Phase of the Jewish Harvest.
Deuteronomy 24:19-21.
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.
Revelation 20:4-6.
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.
They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Revelation 20:5-6.
The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection.
The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
New Heavens and New Earth
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
The First Resurrection
The Second Resurrection
Firstfruits
Harvest
Gleanings
Resurrection of the Unrighteous & Great White Throne Judgement
Church Age
Tribulation
Millennium
Firstfruits
Main Harvest
Gleanings
The resurrection of the Righteous.
Day of Grace
The Church Age
Tribulation
7 years
Millennium
1000 years