Letsargue,
My reflection here is simply that death is not the end. The righteous and the unrighteous will be resurrected. Our fate may be different, but all will be resurrected.
(The wicked experience the second death) -- What is the second death?
Untellectual
Revelation 21:8 KJV -
Paul -- 071112
Revelations 21:8 KJV is aided by Revelations: 21:5 to 7:
21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. |
Jesus who sits on the throne has made all thing New. It is a done deal. This means that He has put a New order in place and dismissed the Old order. This New order (i.e. the New Testament) will make All thing New.
However it is not a free gift and it is not for everyone, because
only those who overcome shall inherit all things. (i.e. inherit all thing including earth in God's kingdom of heaven)
Seems that those who do not overcome are "the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars" Seems that, when they die physically, they will stay within the bowels of earth (which is the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone).
This is their sad predicament: They were dead spiritually when they were physically alive on earth (i.e. their first death) and now after their physical death (i.e. the death of their physical body) they dies the second time. Then being dead both spiritually and physically, they will be totally dead and they will stay within the bowels of earth which is the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.
What is therefore the only thing to focus on here is how to overcome. Revelations: 21verse: 7 speaks of overcoming, in order to be made New through Jesus and inherit all thing, including earth when God's kingdom of heaven descend here fully.
This is the overcoming of one's first death. One's first death is the death of one's spirit. One's spirit is dead to one because it is covered over. It is waxed gross. Therefore overcoming one's first death means that one must no longer have a heart or spirit which is waxed gross (
re. Matthews: 13 verse: 10 to 16). That is one must become spiritually aware, or aware of one's spirit side. Then one will not longer be spiritually dead. One would have overcome one's spiritual death. However this alone will not save and deliver one into heaven.
The path to stop having a heart which is waxed gross is the path to self discovery. It involves drooping one's conscience. That is one must come to intuitive awareness that All ideals and laws of society, morality and religiosity are anchors in foolishness with God. Then one will realize that one is on earth to have
absolute liberty, freedom and fulfillment. Having achieved this awareness one will seek guidance which incorporates the materializing and fulfillment of all of one's desires in a manner that is perfectly harmonious. This is where one will be brought into awareness of Jesus in His Spirit within one's own heart or spirit.
Jesus incorporates one's desires in the finest details (with out regard for any social, moral or religious ideal or law) at the level of one's own spirit and the will of God and provide a path which one must take. This path is discerned by each person as precisely what the Spirit of Jesus has in mind for him to pray for, say and do, as discerned within his own heart or spirit.
So the next step is: one will search one's heart to discern precisely what the Spirit of Jesus has in mind for one to pray for, say and do and be led into one's works by precisely this, even if one has to transgress all ideals and laws of society, morality and religiosity. This is described as obedience onto righteousness. (However one must uphold the laws of the land.) This is how Jesus makes all things New. That is, by leading His charges through His Spirit which they discern within their own hearts or spirits.
Have you overcome? Will you be in communion with Jesus through His Spirit from within your own (de- waxed gross) heart when you die physically? Will you be in communion with Jesus in this manner so that He will separate you, in three day, from your dead physical body and guide you to rise to be like an angel heaven or will you die a second time and be left to sink to the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone to wait on some, far off, undisclosed future date on the call of Jesus?
If you are still waiting for the return of Jesus in a physical body you have totally missed the boat. You have not overcome. You are not among the things which Jesus made New. You are not aware that Jesus already came the second time, in His Spirit.
The New Testament (or new way) is about living though spirit to Spirit awareness, knowledge and guidance. This is to be led into one's carnal and other activities by the unseen Spirit of Jesus which is eternal, as discerned within one's own heart or spirit. When one is practiced in doing this whiles one has a physical body on earth, one will over come the dark dept of earth when one dies physically. When such a one looses his physical body at the time of earthly dead, he will still have his spirit and he will continue to have communion with, knowledge and guidance from, Jesus through His Spirit, through his own spirit. He will not be dead when he dies. He will remain alive or aware through His spirit or heart (because he made it no longer waxed gross or covered over whiles he was alive in a physical body on earth). Then, even after physical death, Jesus through His Spirit will guide and lead him out of his dead physical body and up, to rise to be an angel in heaven.
One who does not achieve for himself, a heart which is not waxed gross, cannot have communion, in the above manner, with Jesus who now sits in heaven, next to God, in His Spirit. God sent the Spirit of Jesus into their hearts. Those who are still looking for the return of Jesus in a physical human body cannot and do not have this communion with Jesus in His Spirit. They will have the second death and remain within earth. i.e. in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone
God sent Jesus the second time only in His Spirit. Jesus make all thing new by operating through His Spirit. God sent the Spirit of Jesus into the hearts of those under the law so that they might become adopted children of God (re. Galatians: 4 verses: 4 to 7) if they embrace Jesus in their spirit and led by precisely what the Spirit of Jesus has in mind for them to pray for, say and do, then they differ in no way from Jesus. Children of God are those in Christ. They are like Jesus as He was on earth in a physical body. That is, when they die they rise in three day to be like angels in heaven.
When unaware people do not make this passage from unawareness to spiritual awareness in their life time, they retain no awareness when they die physically. They die unaware of their spirits. Then their physical death is quite literally their second death. Then in their unaware state they are dragged or carried down to the depths of earth (which is the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone) with their decomposing physical body