If we do not choose to follow the Lord Jesus in the present life we shall be raised from the dead (all shall hear His voice and come forth from the grave) but our body will be as that of Adam and Eve—void of the Life of God. We will be in a perishable state to be sure—perishable in the sense of not receiving the Divine Life, the Presence, love, peace, and joy we hope for in Christ.

Perhaps no devout Evangelical would disagree with what I have stated thus far.

There is a dimension, however, that may be new to the reader. It is this: I am not making any assumption about Hell or the Lake of Fire. Rather I am pointing out that there is a cause and effect relationship between passing from death to life and receiving Jesus Christ, independently of where we are placed later.

Our discipleship, as Christians, is thought of today as escaping Hell and gaining Heaven. This, I believe, is incorrect. Rather our discipleship has to do with escaping death and gaining life. Hell and Heaven are places. Death and life are conditions of existence. They are not synonymous.

A person could be strong and healthy and sent to prison. Another person could be sick to the point of death and be in a comfortable home with all his family members. I believe these distinctions are very important for us to consider. I will explain as we go along.

Hell and Heaven, at least as we think of them, are in the form of punishments and rewards. But death and life are not strictly punishments or rewards but are the results of how we have behaved in the world. The reason why these distinctions are important for us to consider is that Christians today are being taught that if they accept Christ they will go to Heaven. But they are not being taught that the way they behave is directly affecting the state in which they will be resurrected regardless of where they go.

If we are wise we will fear Hell and the Lake of Fire. But we also need to fear what we will face in the Day of Christ. The Apostle Paul did! When he taught about the Judgment Seat of Christ, that each one of us will receive what we have done, Paul said: "Knowing the terror of the Lord I persuade men."

For if we as a Christian have sown to our flesh we are going to reap the destruction of our flesh when our body is raised. If we as a Christian have sown to the Spirit of God we are going to reap eternal life in our body when it is raised.

What we especially need to understand is that grace and mercy do not affect the state of our resurrection. The state of our resurrection will be a reaping of what we have sown, not a punishment for being wicked. The punishment may come later and may consist of lashes, the outer darkness, being driven from the presence of Christ, or even assignment to Hell or the Lake of Fire. The Book of Daniel mentions being raised to shame and everlasting contempt.

Indeed there are fearful punishments to be considered. But also there is the question of reaping what we have sown as a Christian.

To be continued.