What's Next? Revelation Series With Skip Heitzigنموونە

What's Next...for Everyone!

Path
Jesus will call everyone who has died to "Rise Up!" But not everyone will rise up to shine; some will rise up to suffer. Let's consider three inevitable and unalterable truths about the future: we will all live, we will all die, and we will all rise again to live forever.

Points
Everyone Lives

• Revelation 20 shows two related scenes with two different groups that will take place 1,000 years apart.
  • One group will be raised after having been martyred during the tribulation. They will live and reign with Christ in the millennial kingdom (see v. 4).
  • The other group consists of unbelievers who have died throughout history (see vv. 5, 12) and will be raised after the millennial kingdom to face judgment.
  • Both groups will have lived, died, and been raised--one to heaven and the other to hell, or the second death (see v. 14).
• The Bible uses three different words for life:
  • Bios--life on the physical plane, focused on external things
  • Psuché--the inner mental and emotional life; our personality
  • Zóé--spiritual, eternal life; a quality of life that begins on earth and continues in eternity; a born-again life
• Probe: What does a zóé life look like on earth (see Galatians 5:22-23)?

Everyone Dies

• Everyone dies and everyone lives forever. The question is, where will you live forever?
• For those apart from Christ, death leads to eternal separation from God and eternal punishment in the lake of fire (see vv. 14-15).
• Probe: What do you think heaven will be like? Read Revelation 22 for insight.

Everyone Rises

• Upon death, the body decays but the soul lives on in a conscious state. One day, the soul and body will be reunited for eternal life (see John 5:28-29).
• There are two resurrections:
  • The souls of believers--the resurrection to life (see vv. 4-7)
  • The souls of unbelievers--the resurrection of condemnation (see vv. 11-15)
• Every religion in the world besides Christianity is based on human achievement. Those are the works by which unbelievers will be judged (see v. 12).
• The Book of Life is based on divine accomplishment--the merit of Christ's finished sacrifice. It lists the names of those who truly believe (see v. 12).

Practice
Connect Up: How does the reality of hell demonstrate God's ultimate justice?

Connect In: In heaven, we will live with our brothers and sisters in Christ for eternity. How should this affect our behavior toward one another now?

Connect Out: This study is spectacular for those who believe and sobering for those who don't. How should a biblical understanding of heaven and hell influence our outreach to the world?