Life Ends With Jesus

Life Ends With Jesus

“Live each day as if it were your last.”

You've heard that phrase, haven't you? It's a saying that is commonplace, but how deeply have you mulled over it, especially from the point of view of faith? Consider the following:

• What if today is the day you die?
• What if today is the day when Jesus returns?

Are you prepared to meet Him face-to-face? Will you be one of the redeemed who will receive eternal life as the Millennium begins, or one of the lost who will be destroyed at its end? Regardless, one thing is certain: when your earthly existence concludes, whether by death or by Advent, the next thing you'll know is being in the presence of Jesus.

This is the Filii Patris Sabbati Church of God (FP7COG) perspective on this entire narrative. It revolves around comprehending the journey after death and the two resurrections bracketing the Millennial period. So, strap in and grab a cup and let's get into it.

We will all meet Jesus. Whether righteous or wicked, at the end of the age we will all stand before Him and receive our just reward.

Imagine that you're among those living when Jesus makes His much-anticipated Second Advent. You're one of the fortunate ones who'll get to meet Him directly. In a literal blink of an eye, your mortal body will undergo a transformation into an immortal one. Sounds something like a Marvel movie, doesn't it? But this is the reality painted by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ¹⁾. He says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.”

You'll find yourself ascending to meet Jesus in the clouds, bypassing death entirely. You will be a member of a select club that never experiences death. Your human life will metamorphose into eternal life within a heartbeat. In that moment you will know that blessed assurance – you have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. It's both a thrilling and humbling thought, isn't it? But let's explore further – what about those who have already passed on?

This is where the plot thickens. When you draw your last breath, not only does your body die, but you cease to exist and know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). The next thing you will know is that you've been resurrected. God gives you a body and, from His infinite knowledge and flawless memory, imbues it with “you”. You won't know how long you were dead, only that you fell into the “sleep” of death (John 11:11-13) and in the next instant awoke to meet Jesus.

Let's liken it to a long afternoon nap. You close your eyes in the bright daylight, and when you open them, it's pitch-dark. You've missed the entire afternoon in what seems like the blink of an eye! So deep was your slumber, not even dreams could penetrate. Death operates similarly. You shut your eyes in death, and the next instant you're conscious and in the presence of Jesus. Whether it's been mere seconds or millennia doesn't matter, because, for you, it's instantaneous.

Now, the question is: Is it at the beginning or the end of the Millennium?

For those who have turned away from Jesus and His teachings, His return will not be a moment of elation but one of fear and realization. The Bible, in Revelation 6:15-17, describes a scene where the powerful and the weak alike, from kings to slaves, seek refuge in caves and among rocks. They call out for the mountains to shield them from the overwhelming presence of the divine and the impending wrath.

Unlike the righteous, who will joyfully rise to meet Jesus, the wicked will desperately try to escape His gaze. Their fear will not stem from any ill intent on Jesus's part, but from the weight of their own guilt and the impending judgment they must face. The wicked ultimately die as the Millennium commences and God withdraws the breath of life from the earth, meaning that all the wicked die the first death, but their fate will be a merciful one, akin to a light being switched off. This act is not one of cruelty but of divine mercy, ensuring that the wicked do not endure a thousand years of suffering, a fate reserved for Satan himself.

For the wicked, their fate after the Second Advent is clear: they will face death. However, this is not the end of their story. At the Third Advent, which marks the end of the millennium, all the wicked, from the time of Adam until the Second Coming, will be resurrected. This final phase, as described in Revelation 20:12-15, will see both great and small standing before a throne. Books will be opened, including the Book of Life, thoughts and deeds will be revealed, and all will know how and why they were judged. The redeemed will be revealed to have been rightly vindicated and so have their names recorded in the Book of Life. But those whose names aren't found in the Book of Life, whose records show they rejected God's gift of salvation, are judged on their own merits and found wanting. They will face the Second Death, symbolized as a lake of fire, which is final, eternal, and everlasting.

This resurrection will not be one of hope and reunion but of judgment and finality. The wicked will come to terms with the repercussions of their choices, and the reality of the Second Death will be a profound disappointment. Their resurrection will not lead to eternal communion with God but to a final separation from His love and grace. They will be destroyed and enter into an eternal death that cannot be undone. They will not experience an eternal conscious torment, as too many believe, but simply enter into the final death, a death from which there is no more resurrection, and thus their punishment will be for all eternity.

The Bible is replete with reminders for you to be ever-ready for Jesus's return. But this isn't just about some vague, distant future. It's an alarm, indicating that the moment you fall into the sleep of death, it will only be an instant until Jesus calls you up from it and you'll be meeting Him directly. You might die today, tomorrow, or decades from now. Jesus might return this same day or centuries from now. But from your perspective, regardless of the circumstance, the transition from one (life to death) to the other (death to life) will seem instantaneous.

Perhaps you've heard that nobody knows the exact moment when Jesus will return. That's undeniably accurate when you're mapping out the timeline of human history. But here's a paradigm shift. From your unique viewpoint, Jesus returns the very instant you depart this world. Since it's impossible to predict the moment of your natural death, you can't pinpoint the precise moment you'll encounter Jesus on your personal timeline. Even if you find yourself in a situation where your demise seems inevitable, life has a way of surprising you. But know this: Jesus will be there as your next experience following your death.

Reflecting on Jesus's return in this manner provides a fresh perspective on the phrase 'no one knows the time.' It's not just about the uncertainty of His return on a cosmic scale, but also about the unpredictability of His return in your individual existence. He will return as a thief in the night, as the Bible makes clear in several passages, and many will not be prepared. You may also die at any moment and your readiness will be sealed in that same moment. This profound realization serves as a wake-up call, a warning to always be prepared for that critical encounter with Jesus. Because irrespective of whether you're alive or have passed on when He returns, your next conscious moment will be your rendezvous with Him.

Upon introspection, you'll realize that every human journey culminates in a meeting with Jesus. The moment of death is not an insurmountable barrier but a doorway – ushering you directly into Jesus's presence. This comprehension underscores the importance of being prepared for His arrival and the urgency of treating each day as potentially the day you'll meet Him. Whether His return is today, tomorrow, or centuries later, or your death is now or later, from your perspective, it will seem like the very next moment that you meet the Lord.

What's the key message here? To love God and accept the gift of salvation. To then live and love as Jesus did. Each sunrise presents an opportunity to emulate His teachings and strive to mirror His ways. The timing of your mortal end remains unknown, but when that moment arrives, whether you're amidst the living or the deceased, you will meet Jesus. That's the point where your human journey concludes, and your eternal voyage, be it among the living or the dead, begins. Let's remember, as stated in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Find Jesus, accept your salvation, and then prepare, live well, and look forward to that glorious meeting with Him.

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