It is a fact that our body will have been separated from us. But it is not likely that what we are as a person will have been separated from us. There are some sins that are bondages that dwell in our body. These bondages may leave us with the death of the physical body; or perhaps they may not!—for all sin is spiritual in nature and ultimately is of the devil.

There are other sins that proceed from our personality, such as lukewarmness toward Christ. These are not bondages dwelling in the flesh, like adultery, but are conscious choices we make. It may be true that these personality traits will pass with us into the realm of spirits.

One thing seems to be certain: there is no unconsciousness in the spiritual realm. It is only the living who can become unconscious. All the dead are very much alive and intensely conscious.

Think about the future! The Lord Jesus will descend from Heaven with His army of saints in order to establish His Kingdom on this earth. According to the Scriptures, Christ and His army will be resisted with violence. But the army of Heaven, led by Jesus Himself, will attack the wicked and destroy them. The saints will crush all wickedness out of the earth.

What about the believers who never have grown in the Lord? Will they be able to participate in an engagement such as the Battle of Armageddon? Will they rule as kings during the age to come?

Indeed they will not! Self-control, patience, faithfulness, and all the other attributes of the image of Christ are required in the setting up and operating of the Kingdom of God (Revelation 1:9).

Since the setting up of the Kingdom of God is the purpose for the first resurrection from the dead (Revelation 20:4-6), it is likely that only the overcomers will participate in this supremely glorious event. Truly, there is a reward for serving the Lord.

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

The writer is a firm believer in the idea that the righteous dead go to Paradise. There are several books on the market today that describe the experiences of those who have died and have seen the beauty of the spiritual realm, and then have returned to tell of its wonder and glory.

We are persuaded that many of these are valid experiences, even though the Scriptures do not speak of the parks and flowers that some of the saints have seen in Paradise.

May we state again, however, that the purpose of the Christian redemption is not to move us from earth to Paradise. The purpose of the Christian redemption is to remove the "hell" from our personality and to fill us with "heaven." The Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will in earth as it is in Heaven.

God has no problem bringing people to Heaven. In fact, if God wanted man in Heaven He would have created him in Heaven. The desire of the Lord God is to get "Heaven" into people, especially people on the earth. Christians are being made the light of the world, not the light of Heaven.

To be continued.