Due to reader requests, we expand on a previous commentary…

Scriptures tell us that when one dies s/he is “absent from the body but present with the Lord.” We discussed SOME of this back in Part 14, but does this include all mankind, believers and nonbelievers alike? Some clarity is needed due to questions asked by readers. What happens to the unbeliever upon his or her death? How can they be present with the Lord or are they?

2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV) What we don’t understand, and part of God’s process is how believers will not initially be in heaven upon death. This is from where Catholic doctrine gets what they call Purgatory. Also, what happens to the soul of the unbeliever? Please be patient. There is logical scripture given that believers will eventually be in heaven…a place we cannot even imagine. NKJV: “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Simply put, we have no clue what awaits us or what heaven will look like.

Some who submitted a similar question referenced “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” – 2 Corinthians 5:1 This too is correct…in due time believers will have their tents staked in this eternal house in heaven. But we still do not know about those who die as unbelievers.

A quick reference back to commentary article #14…It is appointed (by our creator) once to die. We will not yet again monologue about the so-called survivors of the Tribulation and Millennial Reign. That has been addressed in previous commentaries on this website. What is at stake in the questions received from ahabiblemoments.com readers are three-fold:

1. What happens to those who are believers who die during the church age? Do they go directly to heaven?
   1. No. They like the thief on the cross next the Jesus will be in Paradise.
2. What happens to those who die without confessing Christ as Lord and Savior? Where do they go? Does all go to the grave?
   1. They await judgment at the final resurrection. It is called the Great White Throne Judgment. Their souls wander in a barren land called Hades seeking shelter from the heat and thirst but cannot find it. Remember that even Hades goes into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:13, 14)
3. Does the grave hide all of a human being until Christ gives the first resurrection?
   1. This we addressed in article #14.
   1. In brief. The soul was not created from the dust of the earth. It was God-breathed into mankind. Since it was not created from dust or ashes it cannot return to what it never was…dust or ashes.

We are created in God’s image; body, mind, and spirit (soul). This has nothing to do with whether one is or will eventually be a believer or nonbeliever. The God-head parallel with body, mind, and soul (spirit) is the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The immediate difference between the God trinity and man in three parts is that the human body and mind go to the grave but not the soul. Remember that man became a living SOUL. The soul or spirit of mankind never was dust or ashes. It is the God-given “breath” of life. God can separate his three parts for distinct separate purposes but are one God-in-three.

When one dies as a believer, s/he will be present with the Lord in PARADISE. That is not the heaven we read about in I Corinthians 2:9. To understand this more clearly, we must go back to the thief on the cross whom Jesus told in Luke 23:39-43 will tonight be with him (Jesus) in Paradise. Note that Jesus did NOT SAY in heaven. Jesus had told his disciples that he must ascend to the heavens to prepare a place for them. Jesus had not yet ascended. This brand-new believer at the crucifixion was “to be present with the Lord” but not in the heaven described in I Corinthians 2:9.

In verse 43 of Luke 23, it specifically states “paradise” not heaven. The true believer’s soul and living a life patterned after Christ first goes to Paradise. We can contrast this temporary location of Paradise with the place of the Rich man versus Lazarus. The rich man could see what he missed but Lazarus apparently does not see the torment of the (lost souls) rich man.

Another interesting aha moment is what the Bible tells us about life in and of itself. We are not to worry about it. Why? Life is the breath that was breathed into us called a soul. The soul will spend eternity in one of two places: heaven or hell. It will not be destroyed therefore ETERNITY is an attribute of the soul or life we have within us. This means to not worry about the life within us, but we must be concerned about where that soul will spend eternity once reunited with the body from the grave at the first resurrection and again just before the Great White Throne Judgment.

This takes us to the second death mentioned in Revelation 20:14, 15, and Revelation 21:8. Remember that the soul is eternal without regard to one’s spiritual condition or means of death. There will be a resurrection of all bodies, ancient and recent. All souls will be reunited with their bodies. If one’s name is not found written down in the Book of Life, body and soul will then be cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death but not for the soul. It will anguish for eternity. Seriously, bear in mind that the soul is the living part of each human. His or her conscious state and his or her soul will be blessed or tormented forever and ever.

Now to the question of this article of what happens during the interim of the nonbeliever’s soul before it is reunited with his or her risen body and then judged at the Great White Throne.

Nonbelievers go to a place called Torments in Hades where they experience oppressive heat, thirst, and other discomforts until they are reunited with their resurrected bodies for the judgment of the unsaved at the end of the Millennium. (Luke 16:19-31 & Rev. 20:11-15). The lost soul seeks relief but cannot find it.

Consider again the history of Lazarus and the rich man found in Luke 16:19-31. The rich man is seeking thirst relief from Hades, not hell. That final judgment comes at the Great White Throne Judgment. The bodies of all have been resurrected and reunited with their living spirit. Now comes his and her eternal judgment. Why do humans struggle with the idea of eternal life? Simply put, they cannot prove or disprove it. All we know from an earthly point of view is we bury the dead. Believers must follow what scripture tells us about having faith.

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2022

Article #16 – The Abomination of Desolation [Matthew 24:15+]

Too often one hears from the pulpit words we do not understand but accept because one has heard them before in worship, message, conversation, or study form. What is an abomination? We think desolation is meaningful but what does this word include?

Using the Greek (Strong’s G946) bdel’-oog-mah (abomination) is specifically idolatry. An attitude of values. The word desolation (Strong’s G2049/2050) is er-ay’-mo-sis means to bring something of value to nothingness or bring to naught. In this manner, Matthew 24:15 reflects Daniel 11:31. The abominations in Daniel 9 are similar if not the same as mentioned in Luke 16:15. Not to bring something of value to less but to remove its value; its intended purpose.

JIV: This definition of “desolation” has become the norm in many churches. There may or may not be a Bible challenge to the congregants. There may or may not be a Bible lesson taught. There may be a strong focus on society and social paradigms. There may not even be a mention of worship. Many churches and denominations have no clue as to what worship is. It is not a nice talk with incredible music. Worship itself has been brought to nothingness. Yes, people may enjoy the lecture and music, but worship of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has been brought to naught.

Leviticus 20:13 is an excellent example of an abomination of desolation: ¹³ If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both have committed an abomination (NKJV). This is not the abomination of which Daniel speaks. His mention is the third Jewish Temple of End Time. The Antichrist and his forces shall bring the sanctity of the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem to naught most likely at the 3 ½ year mark of the Tribulation. This is also what the Bible refers to as the beginning of Jacob’s (heavy) Trouble. Note that it does not say a time of Church Trouble. We already have them. As we live in what is Daniel’s 70-week dream, the first 69 weeks (period) is the Church Age.

NOTE: This is specifically identifying the Temple in Jerusalem. That has yet to be rebuilt as of this writing. THERE IS NO OTHER place of worship mentioned or hinted at in his End Time dream. Who will set himself up to be worshiped? The Antichrist (Beast #2) or Satan himself (Beast #1). The third member of Satan’s trinity is his high priest. The idol that speaks and commands all to worship Satan is an active character in the Bible, but not part of Satan’s trinity. He or it is the very definition of an abomination. Satan gives it the power to speak *(Revelation 13:15).

*The “he” in this verse is antichrist. He receives his power from Satan. The image (idol) is a likeness of Satan. Worship is the central conflict between Jesus Christ and Lucifer. Lucifer wants to be the Most High. He denies the existence of Jesus as the Son of God. How does or can one test the spirits? Ask the spirit if Jesus is the son of God. They will try to deny or avoid answering.

Be confident here that the last sentence in this verse is not exclusive to Christians. It reads in the NKJV: “…the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed”. “…as many as would not worship the image.” Nothing in this passage is exclusively Christian. There has been and continues to be the rebel human. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. There will be those on earth who refuse to acknowledge Christ including the antichrist. If this were not so, the Bible would have told us, but it doesn’t.

Understand that this is all part of THAT DAY of End Time. It is during the mid-point of the Tribulation. The Temple has been rebuilt. Judaism is practiced in Jerusalem. Antichrist is known. Satan’s trinity is himself, the antichrist, and the false prophet are known. Satan will grant the power to the antichrist to give the power to the idol of speech. This parallels or immediately follows the desolation of the Temple in Jerusalem. The beast rising from the earth or “sea of peoples” (Revelation 13:11) may come up from within Israel. He is the second beast. Satan (Lucifer) is the first beast. This is addressed in previous articles in this commentary series.

Why, what, or to whom is the Apostle John writing? The next few verses in Matthew explain it. The people to whom John sends this End Time Revelation warning will see the abomination of desolation in Jerusalem. It is Israelis. They are told to flee, hide, seek refuge, not to return to their own homes to pack up belongings.

Matthew 24:16  “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:17  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

Matthew 24:18  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

Matthew 24:19  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

Matthew 24:20  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

At the 3 ½ mark of the 7-year signed peace agreement between Israel and the antichrist, Satan will turn on Israel…God’s elect or chosen. The antichrist is the guy on the white horse mentioned in Revelation 6:2. He has a bow, rides a white horse as a triumphal peacemaker, is given a crown of authority, but has no arrows. He is the mere messenger of Satan. He is given great power by Satan. This is the apocalypse.

“The horse of the apocalypse actually appears to Zechariah in a vision (Zechariah 1:8). And although Jesus and the rider of this particular horse share many similarities, the rider of this horse, who wears a crown, most likely represents a pseudo-christ of some sort. A political leader bent on conquest, such as an Alexander the Great or fill-in-the-blank political leader we can place on the back of this horse” Crosswalk.com. Hope Bolinger makes several very good points on his website article.

We will discuss the main characters of That Day in a later article. It is easy to confuse who is who and who does what. Click on the above Crosswalk.com to extend one’s knowledge.

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2022

The book of Revelation is about the Tribulation and Israel, a tribulation which is subtitled Jacob’s Trouble. The book of Isaiah reveals some details of the Millennium. Daniel gives us insight as to events leading up to That Day of God. Matthew is End Time cautions that primarily focus on the Jews but applicable to all.

The curiosity of body, mind, and soul and end time judgment, then eternity is seldom taught as an inclusive and conclusive topic. The following narrative commentary will address End Time and the body, mind, and soul. The spirit sometimes means the soul?

Consider the body, mind, and soul by reading Genesis 1:26. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit made man in his image. The three in one. This verse is singular…make man in our IMAGE…not images. Mankind is body, mind, and soul. Once a man’s soul leaves or departs the body, s/he is then a created body and mind unable to function minus the soul/life/breath. Medically the body and mind are dead. We cannot be alive without a soul, be the individual, good or bad. Scripture does not state one way or the other. The conscious state of mankind is driven by the soul, after death it lives on, but where? Any out-of-body experience comes from a living soul that is no longer residing within the body. The soul never dies. God created man from the dust of the earth, then “breathed” life into Adam’s nostrils.

Before we move on, we use the logic of scripture in explaining this phenomenon called the soul; a word or state that mimics a certain physical form or motion. Form or motion is a living being. It is all driven when the soul is still within the body. When life departs it is the soul itself leaving the body. Regarding End Time, the soul is our conscious state. It is eternal.

When the soul leaves the body, the body is dead, meaning without a living soul. To live requires body, mind, and SOUL. The soul has left the body. The body and brain are buried, burned, who knows, but the BODY and Mind are dead; a three-in-one creation now minus life (the soul). For the true believer, absent from the body is present with the Lord. What is it that is now absent FROM THE BODY? What is present with the Lord and WHERE?

Answer: the soul is missing. Genesis specifically tells us that the soul was “breathed into man.” It was not manufactured from the dust or elements of the earth. It is God-given.  PS, Adam means “red clay”

Absent from the body is present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8). This is explaining the next phase of the true believer’s existence, now with Jesus Christ. However….

JIV: On that *resurrection day, “the souls” of believers that are absent from the body and present with the Lord God in Paradise, will accompany Christ back to earth, in the clouds, upon his second advent. Bodies will then be raised and reunited with their souls. The souls already with God/Jesus in Paradise are anxious to follow Christ to earth at the 1st resurrection to be reunited with their bodies. These are the DEAD BUT IN CHRIST (1 Thessalonians 4:16). At the end of time at the Great White Throne Judgement, the second resurrection, the rest of humanity will be raised from their graves, reunited with their souls, then judged. [https://davidjeremiah.blog/what-is-the-great-white-throne-judgment-in-revelation]

There are two different “Present with the Lord” statements: first the soul then, the body that is later reunited with the soul. This is true of all mankind. One cannot kill the soul. Our souls are created as eternal beings facing two different eternal destinations. We are created in the image (singular, not plural) of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, three in one (Genesis 1:26). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are eternal, and so is man’s soul. 2 Corinthians 5:5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. How is it a guarantee? The Spirit/soul breathed into us cannot be destroyed.

Be careful about drawing quick conclusions. We also have those who will not physically die leading up to and into the Millennial Reign. They will be living when the 2nd advent occurs. Upon his release from the Bottomless Pit, Satan will garner a huge army of people on earth in a final attempt to be the king of kings. There are two groups living at this “yet to be observed” end of time, soon-to-be history. (cf Revelation 20:7-10).

1. The ones who come to Christ under those tribulation times
2. Those who take the mark of the beast and are eternally condemned.

The believer remaining on earth at the return of Christ and the establishing of God’s Kingdom on Earth, lives on into the 1,000-year reign of Christ but is still subject to a “Once to die” Bible clause (Hebrews 9:27). Why conclude there will be those who die during the millennial reign? Read Hebrews 9:27… “And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment”. It is destined for people to once die…AFTER THAT comes judgment. Which judgment is this scripture referencing? This verse points to the Great White Throne judgment. It simply tells us that after death comes a judgment. Believers will be judged just as the Greek word indicates…judged for and rewarded for accomplishments in Christ while alive on earth.

Those who reject Christ, those before and DURING the Millennial Reign, will have live souls but very dead bodies. After the millennial reign on the old earth, their souls, one’s conscious state, will be suffering an eternal vacation on the beaches of the Lake of Fire with Satan and his minions. Once in the Lake of Fire, their bodies will then have “once died” as appointed [Hebrews 9:27] unto man. For some this is the second death. Their living souls, fully conscious of their surroundings, will understand and anguish in what they missed. Their conscious souls will remain alive and conscious. No, one will not spend hell with his or her friends. Bodies will not exist, so they are not the good-looking guy or gal down the street, but a living soul suffering the same consequences as will all other lost souls. This includes Satan and the fallen angels.

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2022

PS; What did Jesus say to the criminal who acknowledged him at Calvary? He said, “Today will you be with me in…(?). He said PARADISE, not heaven. More on this in our next article.