I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen The Creed I BELIEVE in ETERNITY

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

“What Happens to Me When I Die?” Key Question… “What Happens to Me When I Die?” The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Intermediate State “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom." (Luke 16:19-23) No Purgatory… The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Intermediate State for Believers "It came about as her [Rachel’s] soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin."(Genesis 35:18) "we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord."(2 Corinthians 5:8) "But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;"(Philippians 1:23) No ‘Soul Sleep’… The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Resurrections Resurrection 2 in type Unjust Just Christ Church Other Saints "“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." (John 5:28-29) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Resurrection of the Just & Unjust "“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." (Daniel 12:2) "“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." (Acts 24:14-15) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Resurrections of the Just Harvest Imagery: First Fruits General Gleanings The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

First Fruit Resurrection " But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20) "But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming," (1 Corinthians 15:23) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

General Resurrection "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.“ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) " Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Corinthians 15:50-53) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Gleanings Resurrection "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4-6) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Resurrection of the Unjust " Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 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. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."(Revelation 20:11-15) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Unanswered Question of Resurrections What happens to the believers who live through the Millennium? When do they receive their resurrection bodies? The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

What Types of Eternity Await? The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

God Alone Possesses Eternality "who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen." (1 Timothy 6:16) Just as many things can have ‘being’ but only one thing can be ‘being’ so God alone is eternality and grants eternality to those and what He chooses. The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

“You have never met a mere mortal.” - C. S. Lewis The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Two Types of Eternal State Eternity With God Without God “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 25:46 The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Belief in Eternal Punishment The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Reality of Eternal Punishment “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.” - Mark 9:43 “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” – Luke 12:5 Hell or Hades mentioned by name 15 times in the Gospels (never in John); Other references to punishment, banishment, eternal fire, outer darkness, etc. The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Reality of Eternal Punishment “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” – 2 Thess. 1:9 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;” – 2 Peter 2:4 “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:15 The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Names for Eternal Punishment Gehenna - burning trash dump near Jerusalem; literally means “Hinnom gulch”; the infamous site of high places where children were sacrificed to Molech Sheol – used in Old Testament; means “the unseen world”. Can mean the grave or the world of the spirits; temporary abode of the dead or wicked Hades – used in New Testament to usually signify place for departed unsaved spirits ; temporary abode of the dead or wicked Tartaroo – only used once, in 2 Peter 2:4 in reference to fallen angels, most likely those found in Genesis 7 and 19. It was a reference to a place/dungeon even lower than hades Lake of Fire – all encompassing second death; final The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Purpose of Eternal Punishment God’s justice demands a Hell – not all evil is punished in this life God’s love demands a Hell – God cannot force people to love Him – He allows that separation God’s sovereignty demands a Hell – without it there would be no final victory over evil Human depravity demands a Hell – only punishment for sin against an eternal God is eternal punishment Human dignity demands a Hell – freedom to choose God or not Cross of Christ implies a Hell – why suffer for people if there is not an unthinkable punishment The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Annihilationism A teaching that says the unsaved will not suffer an everlasting conscious Hell. Also called conditional immortality. Unbelievers will be put out of existence after the final judgment, and will suffer varying degrees of punishment before extinction. One of the doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

How can God Send People to Hell? “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?” - Ezekiel 18:23 ”This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Tim. 2:4 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. “ – 2 Peter 3:9 The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

How can God Send People to Hell? “It shall come about that as the Lord delighted over you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the Lord will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it.” – Deut. 28:63 “But they [the sons of Eli] would not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord desired to put them to death.” – 2 Samuel 2:25 How can these different thoughts be reconciled? The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

How can God Send People to Hell? Two Key Areas Need to be Understood The antecedent and consequent will of God The distinction between “want” and “will The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

God’s Antecedent/Consequent Will “Hence it may be said of a just judge, that antecedently he wills all men to live; but consequently wills the murderer to be hanged. In the same way God antecedently wills all men to be saved, but consequently wills some to be damned, as His justice exacts….” – Thomas Aquinas Summa of the Summa The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Difference between Will and Want Unfortunately, people act contrary to evidence and fact all the time. They know the truth about something, yet choose to behave differently. Why is this? Because they may want one thing, yet will something entirely to the contrary. No one wants to go to Hell, but do they will it? Sadly, yes. “The door to Hell is locked on the inside.” – C. S. Lewis The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

“The wheels of God’s judgment may grind slow but they grind exceedingly fine.” - A. W. Tozer The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Who Obtains Eternal Life? 2008 Survey by Pew Forum on Religion

The Biblical Case for Heaven "“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. “And you know the way where I am going.”" (John 14:1-4) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Facts on Current Heaven Created by God (Rev 10:6) Gods residence (1 Kings 8:30) Location of God’s throne room (Is. 66:1, Rev 4) High and holy place (Is. 57:15) Located in the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:1-4) Material place (Rev. 4 & 5) Place of glorious worship (Rev 4 & 5) Intermediate residing place of redeemed who have died (Rev 6:9-11 and 7:15) Satan has access to it (Rev 12:10) Many angels are there (Rev 5:11) Jesus is there serving as High Priest (Heb 8:1 and 9:11-15) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Residents of Heaven God " After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne."(Revelation 4:1-2) Un-fallen Angels " Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,"(Revelation 5:11) Redeemed Humans " After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;"(Revelation 7:9) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Place for Eternal Life    "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them … And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”” (Revelation 21:1-5) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

New Jerusalem "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them," (Revelation 21:2-3) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

New Jerusalem The New Jerusalem will be1,500 miles in every direction; stretch from Canada to the Gulf of New Mexico and from the Atlantic coast of America to Colorado and then extend 1,500 miles up. Would it accommodate all the redeemed? Dr. Henry Morris in the Revelation Record estimates if 20 billion people are saved throughout history, and that 50% of the New Jerusalem are devoted to public needs, each person would still have a cubicle block with about 75 acres on each surface. The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Nature of Eternal Life Better than Earth "but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”"(1 Corinthians 2:9) No Death “there will no longer be any death” (Revelation 21:4) Perfect Bodies "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality."(1 Corinthians 15:51-53) "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."(1 John 3:2) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Nature of Eternal Life Perpetual Worship "And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”"(Revelation 4:8) Loving Service to God "There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;"(Revelation 22:3) Grand Reunions " 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. "(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14) Moral Perfection "and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."(Revelation 21:27) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

The Nature of Eternal Life Eternal Rest "For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God."(Hebrews 4:8-9) Eternal Reward "each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.“ (1 Corinthians 3:13-14) Perfect Knowledge "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known."(1 Corinthians 13:12) The Beatific Vision "they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.“ (Revelation 22:4) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Comparing This Life & Eternity "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."(Romans 8:18) "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."(Colossians 3:2-4) "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."(2 Corinthians 4:17-18) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Comparing This Life & Eternity "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”" (Revelation 21:3-4) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

Two Eternities in Two Verses Judgment "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall." (Malachi 4:1-2) Salvation The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

- Amazing Grace (last stanza) “When we've been here ten thousand years... bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise... then when we've first begun.” - Amazing Grace (last stanza) The Creed – I Believe in Eternity

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen The Creed I BELIEVE in ETERNITY