We can not
see the uniqueness of Christ's Church if we
will not study the fate of those who are
outside the Church. It is therefore very
important to know what the Holy Scriptures
say about it.
32F.1 What will
be the fate of those who are not in Christ's Jesus or not members of
Christ's Church on Judgment Day?
In II Peter 3:7, it is stated:
But the heavens
and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store,
reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men.
(KJV)
On Judgment Day, God will destroy all
ungodly man by fire.
They are ungodly because they are sinners in the sight of God. They
did not come to believe in the Gospel of Christ, which is the power of
God to salvation for everyone who believes.
32F.2
But when is the Day of Judgment?
II Peter 3:10 further elaborates:
But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be
burned up. (KJV)
The Day of Judgment is on the second
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On that day, the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the
elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and all
the works that are upon it shall be burned up.
32F.3
If all the ungodly will perish on the Day of
Judgment, will they still be resurrected? When will the dead who are not
included in the first resurrection come to life? What will Satan
do to them?
In Revelations 20:5, it is revealed:
But the rest of
the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection. (KJV)
'The rest of the dead will not come to
life until the thousand years were ended. . . . That is, after our Lord
Jesus Christ has come for the first resurrection.
What will
happen during the thousand years between the First and Second
Resurrection?
In Revelation 20:1-4, this is written:
Then I saw an angel
coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a
great chain in his hand.
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and
Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast
him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so
that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were
finished. But after these things he must be released for a little
while. (Revelation 20:1-4, NKJV)
At the time of Christ's
second coming, the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and
Satan will be bound for a thousand years. He will be cast into the
bottomless pit to shut him up so he would not deceived the nations till
the thousand years is finished.
What will happen
after a thousand years? What will Satan do to them?
Revelation 20:7-10 relates that:
And when the
thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his
prison,
And shall go out to
deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog
and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom
is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on
the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints
about, and the beloved city:
and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that
deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever.
(KJV)
After a thousand years, the
ungodly ones will be resurrected, and Satan will be released from
his prison to deceived them.
He will gather them for battle, and
their number is like the sand of the sea. Then with Satan as their
leader, they will surround the camp of the saints and the beloved City,
but the fire shall come down from heaven and shall consume them.
And Satan who had deceived them, will
be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and
the false prophets are and they shall be tormented day and night forever
and ever.
32F.4
Aside from the Devil, the Beast and the False Prophets, what and
who else will be cast in the lake of fire?
Revelation 20:14-15 states further:
Then Death and Hades
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And anyone not
found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (NKJV)
Aside from the Devil, the Beast, and
the False Prophets; Death and Hades and anyone not found in the
Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire (popularly called Hell),
which is the Second Death
___________
Knowing the fate of those
who are outside the true Church compared to those who are inside the
Church, should make us strive to enter the door and become a member of
His Church. This is to ensure our inclusion in the first resurrection
and transformation from this "lowly or earthly body" of ours to a
"glorious or heavenly body" like that of our Lord Jesus when He will
come the second time.
_______________________________________________________