AND THEN ... ???

Some of you may not know Yeshua, so I would like to share with you the love, the hope, the joy, and the peace I have found since I have received Him as my personal Savior and Lord of my life. My life under slavery of sin was splintered and broken. It is not my purpose to go into detail here about my past, as it belongs where Yeshua put it - in my past. I mention it only to indicate what a wonderful change Yeshua made in me when I was so lost, putting all the pieces back together again and helping me find a new life in Him.

When I look back upon my life as it was then, I see how easily blinded one can become by the things of the world, especially in a time such as this, when our society has put such value on material things and instant gratification. When we look at the long-term picture, however, we see that all of these material things and immediate pleasures can draw us away from the LASTING values that are most worth finding. This life seems now like it will last forever, but a quick look at the obituary column in the paper reminds us that all of mankind must pass from this life on into the next, and we must remember that we can't take anything from this life with us into the next one when we go! When we read the headlines of the paper today, we begin to realize that this life could actually end at any moment. Some maniac could have planted a bomb where we are that would explode with no warning, and all of a sudden, we would find ourselves in the next life. Yes, it could happen, and has already happened to many people who thought it couldn't. If your life ended right now, what would people remember about you? More importantly, where would you be? Some say your soul will sleep peacefully for a time. Some say you will be on another level of existence waiting to receive another body (reincarnation). Some say you will be roaming the earth as a ghost, while others say there is no other life - this is IT baby! Would you be in Hades in torment, or maybe living in Heaven in the presence of the Lord?

The only way to find eternal life is through Yeshua. Reincarnation is a recycling process whereby man lives, then dies, then is reborn into another body to continue his human experience. This cycle of death and rebirth is lauded as a wonderful thing, but I believe it is not so. I know I have no desire to exist in this fallen world yet again and again. There is an excape from the wheels of reprocessing. That excape is to embrace Yeshu and receive the blood atonement which He provided for mankind. You can then bask in the knowledge that you have passed from death unto life. Hebrews 9:27 will now apply to this new life you have found. Nobody who has received Yeshua will re-circulate back into another body, float around in another dimension, get permanently wiped out, or roam the earth in a spirit body. Upon death, the initial judgment of the Believer relegates him to a place of joy or a place of suffering where he awaits further judgment at the judgment seat of God (as the Bible promises after death). Luke 15:19-31 tells about this place where both joy and torment are found. Per this passage, Sheol or Hades is divided into two compartments. The place of joy where Lazarus went was the upper compartment, called Paradise (often equated with Heaven), and the place of torment where the rich man went was the lower compartment, usually called Hell. It is probable that these compartments have many sub compartments as well, with various levels and intensities of joys and torments. It is likely that Sheol is located in the inner earth in a dimensionally shifted region. Those who have died in Christ will await the judgment seat of Yeshua (Romans 14:10) in one of these two places. Where we await our judgment is based upon how we chose to live while we were here on earth. Some say, "Oh, I'll just go to hell and PARTY WITH MY FRIENDS!!!" It's obvious that they do not understand in the least the horrors of hell. There will be no partying there, just loneliness, pain, and suffering. The rejoicing and celebration will be in heaven! God wants us to know that the choices we make in this life will have definite and very real consequences in the next, and we need to listen now so that we don't suffer then!

"What about the judgment seat?" you may ask. "What happens there ..., and THEN what?" We'll talk about all of that in a minute, but first let's take a look at what can be done to be sure you start your next life in Paradise (Heaven) instead of in the undesirable regions of Hades! God loves us so much that He gave us the PERFECT way to avoid Hell. He wants us to understand and choose this PERFECT way so we can be in Heaven with Him.

Many of us have heard the gospel message, and it is basically as follows. Because Adam sinned, sin has passed down into every man in the form of a "sin nature". It is now in the very NATURE of mankind to sin, and Romans 3:23 tells us that WE HAVE ALL sinned! God is so Holy and pure that He cannot be in the presence of sin, so if we die while under the curse of this sin, we cannot go to live with Him. In order to be free of this curse, we must be seen by God the Father as sin-free. Some think they can make themselves free of sin, but we can never undo our past on our own! Never fear though, there is hope. God WANTS us to be with Him, and He has made a way!

Sin is so horrible in the eyes of our Holy God that He cannot even forgive it without a penalty being paid. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that this penalty must involve the shedding of blood. Not just any old sacrifice would do, however. It must be a sacrifice without blemish or spot, or perfect in the eyes of God. In the Old Testament days, they were told how to make certain kinds of animal sacrifices in order for God to TEMPORARILY forgive them.

God loved us so much though, that He wanted a better way for us, a PERMANENT solution to the sin problem faced by man. He sent His own Son, Yeshua to earth in human form. Yeshua did not receive the same sin nature that all of mankind has received, because He was fathered by God (NOT by Joseph), and the seed of mankind was not passed down into Him (Matthew 1:18-25).  Life was not easy for Yeshua. The same one who caused Adam to sin, (Satan) tried to get Yeshua to sin too. Yeshua could CHOOSE to sin; He faced the same temptations we face, but because He did not have the same SIN NATURE we have, He was not under the curse of the power of sin. In order to complete the will of God the Father, He CHOSE to live a life free of sin, and He was PERFECT in God's eyes. Because of this, Yeshua was the only PERFECT person, and the only sacrifice that was WORTHY to be the once-and-for-all sacrifice for ALL of mankind. Yeshua was nailed to a cross and His blood was shed for us. He died, and they buried Him, but thank goodness that is not where the story ends. On the third day after His death, He was raised from the dead, just as He had promised, and He appeared to many so they would know that He had conquered death. God has the power over life and death itself! We no longer need to make animal sacrifices. In fact, to do so after the sacrifice Yeshua made for us would be telling God that we didn't think Yeshua was good enough to be our sacrifice! God forbid! Because Yeshua was PERFECT, and died for us WILLINGLY, the price He paid completed the plan of God to allow for the forgiveness of ALL of mankind for ALL of time!

God has offered us eternal life with Him in heaven through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. It is offered in the form of a gift to us, the most treasured gift one could ever be given. BUT, just as a gift that has our name on it is meant for us, it cannot be of use to us until we receive it, open it, and apply it to our lives. Thus, we must receive God's gift for us by ACCEPTING what Yeshua has done for us, and DEPEND upon His sacrifice entirely to reconcile us with God. Because we are offered eternal life with God as a free gift (Romans 6:23), we must understand that we cannot EARN our way to this eternal life with God! There is no way we can be brought back into a right relationship with God the Father except through trusting entirely upon the sacrifice of Yeshua the Son. This free gift of God is often called grace, because we can never earn it, we do not deserve it, but He freely offers it to us anyway!

Once we accept this gift of God's grace as our own, a wonderful thing happens. John 14:26 speaks of the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit of God which shall teach us all things and help us remember what we have been told by God. Romans 8:11 tells us that this Holy Spirit will actually come to live within the Believer, and Ephesians 4:30 assures us that this same Holy Spirit will seal us unto God until the day when we receive our eternal life with Him. John 10:28 further explains that no man can take this gift from us.

Some people try to misuse God's grace, however. They try to receive His gift, and then live the same way they used to live. God's grace to us cost Yeshua His life. It was offered to us at a great price. I Corinthians 6:20 reminds us that we were bought with a price, and tells us how we are expected to glorify God in return. To receive the gift of His grace, and then return to the old life of sin is a most UNGRATEFUL thing to do, and may carry some heavy consequences. Remember now, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit when we receive God's gift through our belief and trust in Yeshua. The power of His Spirit within us breaks the power of the curse of the sin nature upon us. We do not have to live any longer under the power of sin that we used to know. By leaning upon the strength and power of the new Spirit within us, we can overcome temptation much more easily than we could before.

We still, however, have to CHOOSE to let this new Spirit of God within us control our desires, and we have to let Him help us OVERCOME sin each day. The temptations do not end; we simply have the power now to overcome them more easily if we CHOOSE to do so! God's Word gives us the guidelines that He wants us to CHOOSE for our lives. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled with the Spirit (i.e. totally under Holy Spirit control). If we allow the Holy Spirit to control us, we will be in God's will, and we will no longer have to deal with the sin we used to know. We are to experience God's power and put sin in it's place!

If we are walking in sin and not aware of it, the Holy Spirit within us will help us to realize that what we are doing is not right. We need to always listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and respond to it by making any subsequent changes in our lives. This process is called sanctification. It is a long and rewarding process of growing in Yeshua, and becoming everything He intends for us to be. It can be the most joyous and thrilling time of our lives, but it does require effort. That is the effort of controlling our self-will and keeping the Holy Spirit in charge of our lives, so we can be successful in turning from our old ways and live by the new ways we are shown. Simply being sorry for the way we have lived is a start, but we must be willing to turn to God's ways, and by leaning on His power, we must accept them as our own. This is true repentance, and it is necessary in order to be in God's will.

There are many advantages to being in God's will. We will sense that we are getting to know Him better, and we will feel His warmth and love. We will have fellowship with Him, speaking to Him in prayer, and reading His Word. He speaks to us too, but usually through the new Spirit within us. We must learn to hear the thoughts His Spirit gives us. (Fellowship with Him in prayer and Bible study helps us to develop this ability.) We will sense a deep peace that we cannot know any other way, and a wonderful inner joy that cannot be stolen.

When we start trying to take control of our lives again, however, and shutting out the voice of the Holy Spirit, we lose the closeness of our fellowship with God, and we may even experience some discipline as God tries to draw us back into line with His will. He knows what is best for us, and does not want to see us fall again into the old patterns of sin. We who have received God's gift of grace must also face the judgment seat of Yeshua, and the way that we (as Believers) have lived while under the grace of God will determine the quality of our lives later. How will He view the life we have lived for Him?

Let's take a look now at the two types of judgment that are ahead for mankind. Those who have not yet believed upon Yeshua will face a different kind of judgment than Believers. There is much evidence to back the theological concept of reincarnation. Eventually this cycle would be ended by belief upon Yeshua. If, however, the end of the time line is reached, and some have still failed to find Yeshua in their earthly existence, God may utelize his flames in order to reprogram the mind of these people to find and receive Yeshua after leaving this realm. This occurs at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11. After their mind is reprogrammed in the flames, they too will be able to find and bow down to Yeshua (Philippians 2:10-11).

Those who have received the gift of God's grace will stand before Yeshua at the Bema judgment seat and will account for the way they lived their lives while under His grace. Several Scriptural references indicate that this will not be the joyous event it is often said to be by pastors in today's church! As Believers, we are to take seriously the Word of God and the voice of His Spirit within us, and live as He has taught us to live. If we have received the gift of God's grace, but have chosen to live our lives as we desired instead of living the way God wanted us to, we have abused the grace God gave us. We will have to explain to Him why we took advantage of His precious grace in such a selfish way! We will remember the price He paid for us as we see the nail prints in His hands. We will be ashamed to stand before Him, sensing His hurt over our lack of respect for the awful price He paid for us. There may be some surprising, heartbreaking, and severe consequences for wasted lives under His grace, and for gross unconfessed sin, not just limited to a loss of rewards as is often taught today! For more information on this subject, please refer to our article called Who are the 144,000? which covers this subject (as well as our readiness for the rapture).

Many of us struggle with failures AFTER we receive God's gift of grace. WE may still allow Satan  to deceive us! We often begin to believe Satan when he tells us that God never truly forgave us, or that we can never be free of an addiction or a certain type of sin. Again, this is just not true. If you have sincerely trusted in Yeshua to give you eternal life with God, then He HAS DONE SO, and He no longer considers your past. All sins of your past are now gone in His eyes, as if they had never happened. Though WE may still remember the terrible things we have done, God forgives AND FORGETS! He has forgiven us completely, and given us all the power we need to stand firm against any addiction or type of sin! It is then up to US to forgive ourselves, and walk BY HIS STRENGTH in the new life He gives us. We must leave the past IN THE PAST, and look to the future He has for us. He can forgive the sins we commit AFTER becoming Believers as well (I John 1:9) when we fall short of His standards, but we must be willing to recognize these sins, (agreeing with God about them), and allow Him to help us do better. This process is the confession of sins, and it keeps us in fellowship with God. Unconfessed sin will keep our prayers from being effective (Psalm 66:18), so we must be sure to ask Him to help us see anything we need to confess, then do so immediately.

Satan has mastered deception. It is his calling card! He is alive and active today, and will deceive anyone he can, especially those who want to come to Yeshua. He may be telling you that you've done something so bad that God can never forgive you. This simply is not true. To God, sin is sin, and the amount or severity of our sin is not a consideration to Him. Even if you have been worshipping Satan or involved in the occult, God will freely forgive. No sin is so bad that He can't forgive it and make it as though it never happened. Remember, He not only forgives, He forgets. Satan may not let US forget, but once we come to Yeshua, God DOES FORGET! Our past is forever gone to Him. His grace is there for EVERYONE! It just has to be received!

Another way Satan may try to deceive you is to tell you that you are good enough now, and that God will accept you into eternal life just as you are. Again we must recall that it is SIN that stands between God and unbelievers, and ALL have sinned. No matter how good we are, it cannot bring us into a right relationship with God the Father. Only trusting in Yeshua can do that!

As a Believer, one of the first things we are to do, in response to the gift we have received, is to be baptized. This is a public demonstration of our faith in the power of Yeshua to bring us into new life through Him. The Biblical act of baptism by immersion is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Yeshua, as well as our commitment to Him through the willingness to die to the desires of the self, and be raised in the new life of Yeshua through spiritual rebirth in Him. Choosing to be baptized, in obedience to the Scriptures, seems to provide a type of cleansing to the very depths of the soul, helping us to draw closer to God.

Struggles may continue, trials may come, and temptations may increase at times, but God's Word will help you understand these things, and work through them. It is very important to find the fellowship of true Believers and if you are blessed to find a good church that believes in the Bible as our final authority, and teaches directly from it, it may help to establish some Godly principles. Most of organized Christendom today, however, is entrenched in splintered theological grooves, and it can be counterproductive to be sit under dogmatic instructions for years on end. It is essencial to develop the technique of discernment. Through prayer, God can lead you to the right church and/or the right friends.

Deception is everywhere in today's world, so stay away from certain churches and people when you do not sense God's peace within you. Look for His peace also when you form the beliefs that will guide you as you walk with God in this world. Again, proceed with caution! As Believers, we must never judge any teaching by its popularity, by emotions, or based upon first appearance; but only by the peace of the Holy Spirit within us and by seeking God's truth in the ENTIRETY of His Word!