If life ended here…#
If life ended with physical death, then human beings should be pitied. We’re better not being cognizant of eternity and ceasing to exist link animals.
John 3:16 (note:43.3.16)For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
God so loved the world...
John 10:10b I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.
Jesus came to give life. Life eternal and abundant.
Jesus foretold he would die and rise again#
Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
this is not something Jesus said in passing...' He began to TEACH them (the disciples) this...'1. He would SUFFER many things 2. be REJECTED by his own religious/political leaders 3. KILLED 4. after three days RISE AGAIN.
Mark 8:32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
He stated it plainly...there's no mistaking it's fully literal fulfillment. There were living witnesses to prove it.
The man Jesus rose after three days#
500+ witnesses.
1 Corinthians 15:3-6 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
500 witness of which most were still alive (they could go and confirm).
Two resurrections#
Daniel 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Two Options: everlasting life and everlasting disgrace and contempt
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, 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 and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
If we believe is the only condition
Which resurrection will you be part of?#
You and I will be part of one of these resurrections. Do you know at this point which resurrection you are part of?
Death eternal#
Revevelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
IF they're judged according to their deeds then they have no chance
Life eternal#
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
THOSE who believe are exempted from judgment and gifted eternal life based on hearing his word and believing Him...
What does it mean to believe?#
The NT makes it clear, the only condition for receiving eternal life, promised hereafter, life after death is by believing. Yet what does it mean to believe?
Is there false belief vs true belief?
Could it be about the amount of faith? The kind of faith?
Romans 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Clearly, faith is NOT about working since believing is counterposed with works in this verse. Yet, clearly it’s not faith in faith or faith in oneself. It is faith placed specifically ‘in Him who justifies the ungodly’.
This is believing…
YOU can KNOW!#
1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.