Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.     Revelation 20:13-15 HCSB

John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. In Children’s church, the children understood that perish meant to die. One asked me, “If this is true, then why does everyone die?”

It says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the second judgment.”

It may all seem a bit confusing especially when we throw in the second death mentioned in Revelation 20:13-15. However, we must understand that once we die our soul goes to be with the Lord. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

It is God’s intention for us to be saved. He wants all of us to surrender our lives to Jesus and spend eternity in heaven with Him. This is why Peter said in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

The Lord wants all of us to be saved. He is patient and longsuffering. But we will all die a physical death. If we are saved, though our bodies die, our souls go on to be with the Lord. But if we are not saved when we go before the Great White Throne of judgment which John is speaking of in Revelation, we will experience this second death. This is where we are thrown into the lake of fire.

The decisions we make while we live here on earth determine our eternal destiny. They determine whether we will spend eternity in heaven with our Lord and Savior or in hell with the devil.

It seems like such a simple decision, but really, it’s not. It’s a decision that requires surrender and no one likes to surrender. We have to surrender our lives to Christ. We have to surrender our will and make it conform to His will, knowing His will is what is best for us. We have to let go of the sin that we might even enjoy. At some point, sin will enslave us, but we hold on to it because we get something out of it.

My friend, we are all going to die if we aren’t caught up in the rapture. At some point, however, we will stand before Christ to give account of all we have said and done. I urge you to consider this before you speak. Don’t take sinful behavior lightly.

If you are truly saved, you will experience a physical death, but your soul will never die. It will simply move up to heaven. But if you are not saved, you will experience the second death. You will die physically and once you face judgment, you will be separated from God for eternity and will face eternal torment.

Be sure you are one of the whosoever that believes in Him so that you shall not perish but have eternal life. This old body will die, but my soul will go on to be with the Lord. What a glorious day that will be.

I pray I will someday meet you there.

Have a great day!