Questions 141, 142, & 143

Jesus* rose from the dead and then went up into heaven in his new body.[1] When Jesus returns to the earth, he will come in the same body that he had when he went away.[2] When he returns, he will come to raise the dead and to judge the world.[3]

 

After Jesus raises all people to life again, everyone will give an account of themselves to God. Jesus will judge all people.[4] And God through Christ will reward or punish people for what they have done.[5] Because Jesus knows all things and is holy,* he is the perfect judge. No one can hide the truth from him. No one can trick him or lie to him.

 

All those who have trusted in Jesus and have died will receive a new body that will be like his body. Those who have trusted in Christ and are still alive when he comes will receive a new body too.[6] That body will be like the body we have now, but it will also be different in many ways. This new body will not grow old. It will not become sick. It will be a perfect body that will live forever. Paul* calls it a glorified body.[7] A glorified body is one in which there is no sin.* And it is a body that cannot die. But even with new bodies, believers will be able to know other people as we know other people now. They will see friends and family who have died before them, and they will know each other.[8] People who have been apart for a long time will be together again. Those who have trusted Jesus will also be given a new home. This new home is called heaven.

 

Heaven is the place that Christ has been preparing for those who have believed and trusted in him.[9] It is a place of rest. In heaven there will be constant joy. The believers* will worship* and praise* God and Christ.[10] They will experience Christ’s love for them in a way that they could never understand before.[11] There will be fellowship with Christ and with other believers. And it will never end.[12]

 

The people who have not trusted in Jesus will also go to a new home. But this new home is not like heaven. Hell is a place where people will suffer. This suffering will last forever in a place of fire and darkness.[13] It is a place of weeping and misery.[14] It is a place of destruction. Smoke from the fire there will go up forever. Those who go there have chosen the path that took them there. They loved darkness instead of light. They have not loved their Creator* as their Lord.* They did not accept Jesus and refused to come to him.[15] Because of these things, they will be punished. They will have no rest day or night. There are no chances to escape. They cannot go back and change anything that they have done in the past.

 

At the judgement,* people will know that Jesus is just and what he says is right[16]. God knows the hearts* and minds of all people. God is fair. He does what is right and good. When Jesus comes again, no one who has trusted in Jesus will suffer at his hand.

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[1] Acts 26:23
[2] Matthew 24:44; Acts 1:11; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 9:28
[3] John 5:28-29
[4] Matthew 13:40-43; Matthew 25:41-46; John 5:22-30; Acts 10:42; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 9:27; Hebrews 10:25-31; Hebrews 12:23; 2 Peter 3:7; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:10-15
[5] Matthew 16:27; Romans 2:6; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12
[6] 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; 2 Corinthians 5:1-4
[7] 1 Corinthians 15:45-54
[8] 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
[9] John 14:1-3
[10] Hebrews 12:22-25; Revelation 7:9-10; Revelation 19:1-5
[11] Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 3:17-19; 1 Peter 3-9; Revelation 7:17
[12] Revelation 19:6-9; Revelation 22:5
[13] Jude 7; Jude 13
[14] Matthew 8:12; Matthew 13:42; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 24:51; Matthew 25:30; Luke 16:23; Revelation 20:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; 2 Peter 3:7
[15] John 3:18-21; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11
[16] Genesis 18:25; Deuteronomy 32:4; Job 8:4