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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Second Resurrection, #15
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (for we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (II Corinthians 5:6-9)
Where does a particular individual go when he or she dies physically? The New Testament writings are not as clear as we might wish or as our tradition suggests. The Apostles preached against the backdrop of the Day of Christ but spoke little of what takes place when we die.
It appears that the Gospel of Christ is directed toward the consequences of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. It does not address itself primarily to the spirit Paradise or the spirit Hell. The Book of Acts does not present the apostles and Christians as preaching about the advantages of Heaven over Hell. The Gospel as the escape from Hell and the route to Heaven is a concept the Christian ministry has added.
Paul does not use the term "Hell" in any of his epistles, which certainly would not be the case if escape from Hell were a major topic of his preaching.
How can we know if we will go to be present with the Lord when we die? If we are living in Christ now, serving Him, always saying yes to His will, as was true of Paul, then we will go to be present with the Lord Jesus when we die.
But let us never presume we will go to be present with Him if we are not living in Him today; if we are leading a careless, disobedient Christian life; if we are following Christ afar off. Even the righteous are saved with difficulty (I Peter 4:18).
When the Lord appears, His servants who did not perform His will shall be sent into outer darkness. This may be an area of the earth denied the light and glory of the Kingdom of God. Or it may be an area under the earth's surface or possibly somewhere else. The believers who are sent into outer darkness will be filled with remorse and will wail and scream in terror and anguish of heart.
The "sea" may refer to the multitude of people of all ages who never have heard of the God of Israel or of Christ. They cannot be judged by the Ten Commandments or by the Gospel of Christ because they have heard of neither. As we have stated previously, in the Kingdom of God an individual is judged on the basis of the light he has received, whether it be the Law of Moses, the Gospel, or his or her own conscience.
Death and Hell ride together (Revelation 6:8) and will be cast into the Lake of Fire together. Spiritual death is the cause of physical death. Our bodies die because of the sin that dwells in them. Hell, an area of spiritual torment, often is associated with death.
To be continued.