Rest in Peace

We don't Die and go to Heaven

Once again Scriptures, the Word of God, answers our question about what happens when we physically die.

Quote from Life Hope and Truth:
While it may be comforting to those struggling to cope with the death of loved ones to think of them as 'looking down from heaven, this belief is false. Instead, God’s Word comforts us with the fact that there is no suffering in the grave. And since there is no thought for those in the grave, there can be no awareness on their part of the passage of time. When they are resurrected, it will be as though they have awakened from sleep.
End Quote

Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust... in mortal man who cannot save. His breath departs (physical death) he returns to the dust (in the grave) on that day his plans come to nothing
Ecclesiastes 9:5 ... the living know they will die but the dead know nothing, they have no more recompense, for even the memory of them has died. Their loves, hates, jealousies have long since perished and they have no more share till the end of time (when Y'shua returns) in all that goes on under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever is in your power to do,do with all your might. For there is no action, no reasoning, no learning, no wisdom in Sheol (the grave) where you are going.

John 6:39-40: (Y'shua is speaking) “This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

It is appointed for all of us to die, but when Y'shua returns to the earth at the last day, his followers who have died will be raised from their graves and given eternal life.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 ... you should not mourn over them who have fallen asleep (died), like other people who have no hope... :14 For if we believe that Y'shua died and rose again, even those who sleep, will Elohim, by Y'shua bring with him. :15 and this we say to you by the word of Messiah, that we who may survive and be alive at the coming of Messiah, will not precede them who have slept. :16 Because our Master Y'shua will himself descend from heaven with a mandate and with the voice of the chief Messenger (angel) and with the trumpet of God; and the dead who are in Messiah will rise first and then we who survive and are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet our Messiah... And so comfort yourselves one another with these words...

We cannot 'rise' to meet Messiah when he returns If we are already in heaven... The dead rise first and the living witness this before they are gathered up as well.

Job 3 (he's about had enough and curses the day he was born and asks why he did not die at birth) ... :13 for now I would be lying in repose, asleep and at rest (dead and buried with those who have died before me)

Y'shua, Son of God, says in John 3:12 - I have explained earthly things and you do not believe. How then will I explain heavenly things? And no man has ascended into Heaven except he who descended from Heaven.

Quote from Bible Info: The Bible compares death to sleep more than fifty times. After death we are asleep, we are unconscious; we are not aware of the passing of time or of what is going on around us. That is what death is like as well. The Bible says, “for the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing… their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, NKJV, see also Psalm 146:4; 115:17). It makes sense that after Lazarus was raised from the dead, he doesn’t share what he saw or experienced. He didn’t have anything to tell, except that once he was dead, and now he is alive! He didn’t experience hell or heaven. He was simply “sleeping” in his tomb. Peter on the Day of Pentecost said the same of King David. “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day…For David did not ascend into the heavens…(Acts 2:29, 34).

John 5:28 Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming when all those who are in the grave will hear his voice!

Once you realize we don't die and go to heaven but we Rest in Peace here in the earth for a time, some questions on other topics may arise. Let me know and we can do another study.

     

Part of His Plan

Armageddon to Magog Timeline
(condensed version of a study I am working on  - ckc)

Here's what Scripture says about the return of Y'shua: 

--- Matthew 24:27 All eyes will see the return of Y'shua... :29 immediately after the suffering of those days... :30 Y'shua comes upon the clouds of heaven with great power and glory. He sends his Messengers with a large trumpet and they gather his chosen from the four winds. 

--- First Thessalonians 4:16 confirms Y'shua will descend from heaven with the voice of the chief Messenger and the shofar (large trumpet) of Elohim. His Set Apart believers (his chosen) are caught up together to the clouds to meet Y'shua Messiah and be with him forever.

--- Revelation 6:12 tells us the 6th Seal is opened and because of the earthquake, darkened sun, red colored moon, falling stars and mountains and islands being moved out of their places Every One Will Know the great day of wrath has come.
--- Revelation 11:15 tells us the world becomes the kingdom of Y'shua after the 7th shofar is sounded. (the last trumpet before the final plagues)
--- Rev. 11:19 the Temple of Elohim in heaven opens, the Ark of His Covenant is seen...
--- Revelation 16 tells us the 6th cup of Yah's wrath is poured out upon the Euphrates to make a way for the kings of the east to cross. :13 from the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet came out unclean spirits like frogs - they are the spirits of demons who work signs and they go forth to gather all the kings to the battle of the great day of Elohim... :16 and they collected them together at Armageddon
--- 16:17 the 7th cup is poured out and a voice from the Temple and from the throne said It Is Done.
--- Revelation 19: Babylon has been judged and with that the blood of the souls under the altar has been avenged (Seal 5 vision). 19:7 the marriage supper of the Lamb has come... :11 heaven opens and Y'shua rides out upon a white horse and in righteousness he judges and makes war. :13 the army of heaven follows him, also riding white horses. From the mouth of Y'shua issues a sharp two-edged sword with which he can strike nations. He will rule with a rod of iron, and he treads the winepress of the wrath of Elohim Almighty.
--- Revelation 19:19 The Beast (final world leader) and the kings of the earth and their armies assemble to wage battle with Y'shua Messiah (Rev. 16:16). The Beast is captured and the false prophet that was with him are cast into Fire Lake and the rest were slain by the sword of Y'shua -- all the fowls were satiated with their flesh.
--- Revelation 20 tells us Satan is now locked up in the abyss for the next thousand years which brings us to Ezekiel's prophecy recorded in chapters 38 and 39.

--- Revelation 20:7 says when the thousand years are completed Satan will be released from his prison and goes forth to seduce the nations: Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle. This army, the vast horde, will eventually 'encompass the camp of the Set Apart believers and the beloved city (Jerusalem).
---Ezekiel 38:8 notes 'after a long time' YHWH will summon Gog (Satan has been release from the abyss and starts summoning/seducing nations).
---Ezekiel 38:10 says Gog gets this idea to attack a people gathered from among nations now living at the center of the earth (Jerusalem, that beloved city). My note here is that those people who are gathered together and living secure whom Gog desires to attack are the camp of Set Apart ones and those living in the city, same ones mentioned in Revelation 20:7. 

This time line is toward the end of the thousand year reign of Y'shua's earthly kingdom (way after Armageddon event). Satan is released at the end of those thousand years and I read it as he influences Gog, the chief prince of Turkey (Meshech and Tubal) just as he influenced the final world leader during the final seven years of life as we know it. Revelation 20:7 also notes that 'fire came down from Elohim and consumed them, just as Ezekiel 39: notes that YHWH sends fire against Magog and those on the coast lands.

I read this as Two separate events, two different endings. At the Armageddon event, the AC and the False Prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire and Satan is locked up. We rule and reign with Messiah a thousand years (our final testing and refining). At the Magog event, after Satan has been released for a little while - long enough to deceive the very elect and gather forces against the Camp and the City - YHWH sends fire to consume the armies and then Satan is cast into the lake of fire, where the AC and false prophet have been. And then the dead are judged by YHWH, the books are opened, death and the grave are cast into Fire Lake... and then FINALLY we can live happily ever after!

Armageddon

You have more than likely heard the term “Armageddon”  used by news reporters or have read it in the headlines.  Some people think Armageddon means the end of the world, and it does, in a way.  I want to share with you a little research I have done in regards to prophecy and current events. There is a Damascus, Syria prophecy (Isaiah 17) and an Egypt prophecy (Isaiah 19) that look like what is going on today.  When Damascus ends up in a heap of ruins and ceases to be a city you’ll know that this particular prophecy has been fulfilled.

There will be a final 7 year time period (of life as we know it) that will begin when a rich political figure/world leader makes a "firm agreement with many". This is the guy referred to as the Antichrist and his 'peace treaty' that happens (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24). The fighting will stop and the first 3-1/2 years will seem peaceful and good.  At the midway point is when Satan takes full possession of this world leader, puts an end to all that seemed good and goes after (to kill) anyone who believes Jesus/Y’shua is the son of God, YHWH.  At the end of this 7 year period is when the battle at Meggido/Armageddon occurs.

It just so happens that the last battle at Meggido, Israel was during WWI when the Allied troops battled the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) which is an Islamic country.  That is another study to share at another time!

This coming battle at Meggido will happen after the 6th Cup of Wrath is poured out (Revelation 16:16). The beast/Antichrist and the kings of the earth assemble to battle against Y’shua, Messiah, who has returned with an army from heaven to claim his rightful kingdom on earth.  Messiah wins. The beast and false prophet are tossed into Fire Lake and Satan is bound in a chain and locked in the abyss for 1,000 years.  He will not be able to deceive mankind during this time. (Revelation 19:19)

It is the elect, the Set Apart Believers, who have been caught up in the air with Y’shua Messiah on a cloud just prior to the final 7 plagues. (1Thessalonians 4:16-17).  We are changed at the last trumpet - the last shofar of seven that are sounded by Angels of Elohim.  We will be here to witness the final 3-1/2 years leading up to The End but we will not be physically on earth to experience the Wrath of Elohim: the final 7 Plagues.

After Messiah and his army defeat Satan and his army, we will be planted on our soil (set back down after the cloud episode), in the promised land, the land of Canaan (the original boundaries that go beyond modern day Israel) where we will live with Y’shua as our King and High Priest for 1,000 years!

This is the condensed version of the end of this age as I just wanted to let you know the events that lead up to "Armageddon". 

If we love Yahweh, keep His Commandments and believe in His Son Y'shua, we won’t be on earth to experience the final 7 plagues, the Cups of His Wrath, but we will go through those trying times know as The Tribulation.

After the thousand years will be the battle of Gog of the land of Magog... stay tuned.