That was a lot of scripture,” Isaac said. “I'm afraid I’ve lost track of where we are in your story. Could you catch me back up to where we left off?”
“Sure,” Adam said, “glad to be getting back to the plan. Jesus has returned to the earth, the beast and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire. Satan is chained up and not allowed to influence the world or its inhabitants, as it is rebuilt during the millennium. Those who accept Jesus during the millennium are born into the family of God, those who don't, will have to wait in their graves for their final fate to arrive.
At the end of the millennium there is a second resurrection for everyone who lived and died without the opportunity to accept Jesus before the millennium got started. The vast majority of humanity will now have their eyes opened to salvation through Jesus. They will have a lifetime of one hundred years to choose salvation or death.
At the end of this hundred year period, Satan will again be loosed to deceive the nations who again make war against Jesus and the saints. They are defeated, in what will be the final war of all time. At the end of this war those who have died for the second time, not accepting Jesus, will most likely remain dead. Satan is cast into the lake of fire where he and the demons will be tormented for the rest of eternity.
Now the third resurrection takes place. The resurrection to damnation, because all who find themselves at this day of judgement, will have had their opportunity to accept Jesus, but never took advantage of that chance, they are cast into the lake of fire and die there.
They are not immortal like Satan, who is tormented in the flames forever. They are resurrected into physical mortal bodies and die in the flames and remain dead for the rest of eternity. Their punishment will be eternal as they will never be brought back to life again. They will become ashes under the feat of the saints. This will be their second death.”
“Wait,” Exclaimed Isaac. “That's new, becoming ashes under the feet of the saints. I’m not familiar with it; I need to look that up.” Isaac starts a new search.
“Here it is,
Malachi 4:1-3
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
It seems to be talking about the end times, I suppose you are using it in the proper context,” Isaac agrees skeptically.
“Can I go on now?” Adam asks with a big smile. “Are you satisfied?”
“No,” Isaac said. “No I am not satisfied. How do you know that they are resurrected as mortal people? Why couldn't they be just as easily resurrected as immortal and then be thrown into the lake of fire and be tormented for the rest of eternity with Satan? That would fit more closely to what the rest of Christendom believes. What makes you so sure your right?” Isaac demands.
“Well for one,” Adam replies. “God will not violate his own prime directives. The first one clearly states that, we can only have eternal life if we accept Jesus. Remember we agreed on that? I believe to my very core that John 3:15-17 is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
‘That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved’.
This is the truth. We can only have eternal life if we believe in Jesus. Other scriptures we have covered, tell us that when we believe in Jesus, we will not be thrown into the lake of fire. Those who follow Jesus go on to become the children of God. These two points are undeniably true. Therefore, those who are thrown into the lake of fire have to be mortal, as they have not followed Jesus to receive their eternal life, which means they are mortal. Their mortality is self-evident by the fact they are thrown, into the lake of fire, where they are burned to ashes.
To argue they might somehow have an eternal life so they could suffer in the flames for all eternity, requires you to rewrite what is taught in John. As well, you would have to rethink your position on the belief that Jesus alone provides eternal life for those who believe on him. Is that what you believe? That Jesus, isn't, the only way to eternal life? Do you think there is some other way to gain immortality?”
“No! Of course not. I just hadn't thought of it quite like that before,” Isaac stammered. “I thought you had a verse that said they would be mortal is all.”
“I do. John 3:15-17,” Adam said flatly. “It's either true or it's not. What do you think?”
“OK, OK, I'll go with those verses are understood within their proper context,” Isaac responded soberly, happy to move the conversation along.
“One of the last things to happen is death and the grave are done away with, as there are now no more mortal people to go through them,” Adam goes on with his Bible lesson. “Every human who has ever lived, is now an immortal spirit-physical being like Jesus, or they are dead for the rest of eternity, having suffered the second death. Then God brings down New Jerusalem and lives with his children here on the earth.
You can look that up. I have to stop up here at the brake check and do truck stuff.” Running the Jake and down shifting Adam takes the right lane exit off of the highway leading to the brake check parking area. Pulling over to the far right by the shoulder of the pavement, he parks in front of the garbage cans chained to two big sign posts.
On the large, two post sign board, there’s a road map of the upcoming decent along with the location of the runaway lanes. As well, it has distances and road grades for each section of the hill clearly marked out so the truck drivers would know what to expect as they proceed down the upcoming long steep hill.
“I'll be a bit,” Adam said as he applied the truck spring brakes, leaving the parking brakes off on the trailer. “There's an outhouse toilet if you need to go. Last chance before we get to town.”
“Ya. Maybe I had better do that,” Isaac replied. “That pop was only rented and it would do me good to stretch my legs a bit.”
They both got out of the cab. Adam went counter clockwise heading towards the back of the trailer, kicking tires and looking at various parts to make sure they were OK and good to go.
Isaac headed straight for the small concrete block building, not much larger than an old fashioned telephone booth. As he opened the door to walk in, he stopped and stepped back into the light breeze of the parking lot. Filling his lungs with as deep a breath as possible, he rushed into the building, the door slamming behind him.
A couple of minutes later he emerged just as fast, red faced and exhaling, awkwardly doing up the zipper of his pants. He walked briskly away from the outhouse for a few paces, then slowed noticeably, taking in deep breaths of the sweet mountain air.
Turning, he walked back towards the tattered looking old truck which was idling noisily where it had been parked. Not seeing Adam he headed towards the back of the trailer on the passenger side. Looking around bewilderedly for Adam at the rear of the trailer, he poked his head around the back corner of the reefer van to look down the driver’s side. Adam was nowhere to be seen. Isaac was about to call out for Adam when he heard some scuffling sounds coming from under the trailer. Kneeling down he looked under the trailer to find Adam lying on his side with a long steel crowbar, prying against the trailer axles.
“What are you doing under there?” Isaac said with a mix of curiosity and disdain. “Is it broken or something?”
“No, not broken. Just checking the brakes like I'm supposed to,” Adam explained. ?
??Some guys just pretend to check their brakes by looking at them, but you never know for sure if your brakes are adjusted properly if you don't actually check them physically. Their all good, just as I had thought. This hill we are going to go down is over ten miles long and runs at a six to eight percent grade. So I wanted to check the trailer out, just to be safe.”
Sliding on the lightly sanded pavement to get further back, Adam pries the slack adjusters, with his crow bar against the rear axle of the trailer. They have about half an inch of travel before he cannot move them any further.
Pleased with the test results Adam crawls out from under the reefer van, vigorously brushing the dirt off of his cloths with his hands. He walks over to some knee high green grass growing in the ditch, squeezing it tightly at the base he pulls it through his hands, freeing his fingers of most of their grimy dirt before he rubs the stubborn greasy bits off on his lower pant legs.
Kicking the rest of the tires on the passenger side of the trailer, he then heads towards the truck looking and checking for things amiss. Scanning under the truck he then kicks the rear duel tires and moves forward towards the front of the truck.
“Hey. Aren't you going to crawl under and check the truck brakes too?” Isaac asked shocked and slightly fearful. “You just said that you couldn't tell if they were OK by just looking at them, but that they need to be manually tested. I want to get home safe you know.”
“I can't pull these slack adjusters because the spring brakes are on, that's what's keeping the truck from rolling down the hill right now. So I check the travel of the slacks with the markers that are on the push rods. They have about an inch of space from the face of the brake pot, which means the brakes are adjusted properly.
What I meant before about, just looking at them, was that some drivers just stop and pretend to check things out for show. You can get a fine if you don't check your brakes, but they aren’t really checking anything, it’s all pretend. With markers on the push rods you can check your brakes accurately by just looking at them when the spring brakes are applied, if you know what you’re doing.”
Adam explains his actions further, “I left the park brakes on the trailer off because I was planning to go under and check the brakes using the free stroke method. I wanted to do it here on the dry pavement; the next place I stop is likely to be muddy. You need to know your equipment and it has to be set up properly if you want to be efficient,” Adam explains.
Not understanding a thing that Adam had just said, Isaac shrugged and said. “Oh ya, I can see that.”
Using the hand rail and tank steps Isaac hoists himself back into the cab of the shabby old truck. Once comfortably settled back into the passenger seat, he starts searching for the last verses Adam referred to in his end time events scenario.
Adam continued with his checks around the truck until he finally got back into the cab behind the steering wheel.
“Well, everything seems to be fine,” Adam said closing the door. “We can get on with our trip now. ‘Just one more hour and I'll be, home and dry’.” He was singing along with the Gerry Rafferty song that played in his head. “‘Oww wa wa, oww ho ho, oww ho ho, I’ll be home and dry’,” he sang while releasing the truck brakes. Putting the truck into third gear he pointed it’s nose for the highway. “Yup, we're just about there.” He smiled at the thought of being with his wife for a couple of uninterrupted days.
Oblivious to Adam’s singing and comments, Isaac is deep into his scripture search and just grunts in agreement. “Here is the first scripture for your last points,” He said.
“1 Corinthians 15:24-26
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Another one to support your point,” Said Isaac, increasing his volume to match the truck noise.
“You’re as tenacious as a dog with a bone,” breaking in, Adam chuckles glancing at Isaac as he shakes his head.
“Thanks. I’ll take that as a complement,” Isaac smiled in return. Getting back to business he hollered out.
“Revelation 20:14.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
Isaac adds speculatively. “Then God will dwell with mankind.”
“Or does mankind become the children of God and they dwell together as the one big family of God?” Adam interjects his question quickly.
“OK,” Isaac responds. “That could be a better way of saying it, as mankind are the ones who are changed into new bodies, not God. Anyway, here is where the bible tells us about it.
Revelation 21.
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the stre
et of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
And a bit more in Revelation 22:1-5, KJV of course,
1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Those scriptures cover your points so far. Culminating with God coming to live with man here on the earth,” Isaac said.
“And that's it,” Said Adam with finality. “That is how the plan of God plays out, bringing salvation to all of humanity that accept it. Humanities destiny, if we choose to accept it, is to become the spirit born children of God. At least that is how I see it explained from the Bible.
Understanding the Bible this way gives everyone that has ever lived, no matter where, or when, an opportunity to come to Jesus for salvation. It also punishes the wicked, who willingly reject Jesus, for the rest of eternity. They will never partake in eternal life, that is reserved exclusively for the followers of Jesus.
Finally, when everyone has made their choice, when death and the grave are destroyed forever, then God the Father will come and live with mankind as a family. We will all be spirit-physical beings, the same way Jesus is. We will truly be children of the most high.”
Chapter 17
Why That way