Foreword

What happens to a person after he dies?

His physical body "sleeps" in the ground, while his soul and spirit pass into that part of the spirit realm to which the Lord appoints him.

At some later point his physical body is "awakened" by the voice of Christ. This is the resurrection from the dead.

He stands before Christ and is judged for what he has practiced in his body. He is recompensed based on the judgement of his deeds.

The resurrection, the awakening of the physical body, is not eternal life. All persons are resurrected. It is the recompense, the experience that follows the resurrection, that may or may not prove to be eternal life.

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28,29)

The awakening itself is neither eternal life nor condemnation. The awakening may be to life or to punishment.

The issue is what we have done, what we have practiced. If we do well we will be raised to eternal life. If we practice evil we will be raised to wrath and punishment.

The bodies of all persons who have ever lived will be awakened by the voice of Christ. Enoch and Elijah may be exceptions.

All of us will be awakened — we have that in common. The difference will be in the diversity of our eternal destinies.

Many Christians believe once we accept Christ we pass from death to life and never again can come under condemnation no matter how we behave. They may ask, Why should we discuss the possibility of Christians being judged and punished for their behaviour in the world?

If it were true that as soon as we accept Christ as our Saviour we have nothing more to do with judgement, a large portion of the writings of the Apostles in the New Testament would be meaningless (Romans 8:13; Galatians 6:8; for example).

However, it is not true that the behaviour of Christians is not judged. The Apostles inform us repeatedly that our sufferings in the world are a Divine judgement on us so we will not be condemned with the world but will prove to be worthy of the Kingdom of God (I Corinthians 11:31,32; II Thessalonians 1:5; I Peter 4:16,17).

Some of the confusion over the relationship of Divine judgement to the Christian arises from our perception of what it means to receive Christ and to be in Christ. There is confusion over the definition of the terms eternal life, grace, and faith.

The following verse, if read from the standpoint of our traditions, appears to suggest every individual who makes a profession of Christ can forget about being judged. (Many other writings in the New Testament show that such is not the case — Ephesians 5:5,6; Galatians 5:19-21.) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)

We misunderstand this verse because:

We perceive "heareth my word" to mean someone has explained to us theological facts concerning Christ’s atoning death and bodily resurrection.

We perceive "believeth on him that sent me" to mean we believe there is a God.

We perceive "everlasting life" to mean we go to Heaven when we die.

We perceive "shall not come unto condemnation" to mean God will ignore our behaviour because He sees us only as clothed with Christ’s righteousness.

We perceive "is passed from death to life" to mean once we give mental assent and make a correct theological statement concerning Christ we have from that point been "saved to go to Heaven when we die."

We assume the Lord Jesus is giving us a formula to which we can subscribe. It seems to follow that no matter how we live we will go to Heaven when we die. We view the "life" of which He is speaking as meaning that when we die we will go to live in Paradise in joy and peace forever. We will escape all trouble and go to live in Heaven by making a profession of belief in Christ.

But Christ is not giving us a theological formula in John 5:24 nor is the life He is presenting that of going to Paradise to live in joy and peace forever.

Christ is not giving us information that we can believe and have Divine judgement waived as a result. We are not free to do as we will, being certain we will meet with God’s approval when we die. We are not dealing here with a profession of belief in doctrinal truth.

Jesus Himself is the Resurrection. Jesus Himself is the Life.

Jesus has come to a spiritually dead mankind in order to bring the incorruptible Divine Life that Christ, the Tree of Life, actually is.

What Jesus is saying is:

"I am eternal, incorruptible, resurrection Life, the Life from God that casts out sin and death, healing that which has been destroyed by the devil.

"I am presenting to you the power that God has provided to free you from the bondage of corruption.

If you can `hear’ the Word of Life in your spiritual being, and will place your trust in the Father, you now have passed from death to life. You will not be judged guilty. Your sentence is freedom from sin and death because you have believed on Him whom God has sent."

This does not mean because we have accepted what Christ has said as being true we will go to Paradise when we die.

It means right now if we can "hear" the Word of eternal life and believe in God we will receive into our personality the life substance and force of the Tree of Life. It always is now. Salvation is not an assent to truth that we gave at some point in past time. The life Substance is Christ. It never shall be found guilty of breaking the moral law of God. The Divine Life keeps the law of God by its nature. No condemnation rests on the individual who is walking in the Spirit of life. When we are walking in the Holy Spirit we do not fulfil the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:16).

Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (I John 3:9)

Christ is not speaking here of some kind of magic formula or incantation. There is no doctrine to which we can adhere and be excluded from the Kingdom laws of sowing and reaping, of judgement and recompense.

Rather, Christ is stating if we will come to Him He shall breathe into us the Life of God so we will not be abiding in death but in life.

Can you understand what Christ is saying? He is not speaking of dying and going to Paradise. He is referring to the Divine transformation of what we are and what we do now. His atoning blood keeps us without condemnation while that Kingdom transformation, the "new creation," is taking place.

Another important factor is that the initial gift of eternal life is not a once-for-all-time happening that never can be altered. As we stated previously, salvation is always now, always dynamic, always growing and developing. One cannot hear Jesus’ Word and believe in God yesterday and have eternal life today. Hearing Jesus’ Word and believing in God is always now, and the moment we cease hearing Jesus’ Word and believing in God we come under judgement, and the forces of death begin to make headway against the Life of God that is abiding in us.

Let us take another look at John 5:24:

"Heareth my word" means hearing the voice of Jesus through the Holy Spirit at all times.

"Believeth on him that sent me" means placing all of our trust and hope in God in every aspect of daily living.

"Everlasting life" means the incorruptible Life of Jesus is beginning to replace our soulish bodily life. We are coming to experience the power of His resurrection. In this power and fellowship with God we shall live from now through eternity.

"Shall not come unto condemnation" means we ourselves, our spirit and soul, shall not abide under the wrath of God. It does not signify we will not be judged and chastened concerning every element of our body, soul, and spirit that is not perfectly in God’s will and pleasing to Him. As many as

Jesus loves He rebukes and chastens. We Christians, along with everyone else, will be given the fruit of our behaviour when the Lord returns. To deny this fact is to lead ourselves and our followers to destruction. Numerous believers are being lead astray in our time.

"Is passed from death to life" indicates that at one time we were separate from the Life and

Presence of God but through receiving Jesus we now have been restored to the Life and Presence of God, no longer being cut off from Him.

Eternal life is not perpetual existence in the spirit realm. The demons exist perpetually in the spirit realm. But no demon can inherit the eternal Life that is in God and is God.

Eternal life is the substance and force of Christ in us. The Divine Life of Christ transforms what we are.

Our flesh and blood striving cannot create that which God has ordained we will become. As we receive Christ each day, He enters us. He, in us, overcomes the power of sin and death. Little by little, life replaces the death that is in us.

We are being judged now (I Peter 4:17) if we are going through the process of life replacing death.

It is entirely possible to be set completely free from sin and death by the filling of our personality with the Life of Christ. This is the spiritual dimension of the first resurrection from the dead — Paul’s "mark."

The Christian who is willing to follow Christ all the way through the process of judgement and life can attain a hundredfold experience. If he does he will receive the crown of life in the Day of the Lord. Christ has come to him and has enabled him to go through judgment and preparation for reward (and some of the reward itself) in this life. Thus, Paul was seeking to arrive at the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:11).

To "know Christ" is to share His righteousness, His resurrection power, and His sufferings.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25) Christ calls to our spirit, and if we "hear" Him we will live.

This takes place when first we are "saved."

But it takes place also every day of our pilgrimage. We struggle so hard with stubborn areas of death in our personality! Christ beholds our determination to please Him, and also the confusion, rebellion, and pain we are experiencing concerning some part of our body, soul, or spirit He has not touched as yet.

Then He speaks! The voice of the Lord calls to the deep of our personality just as it called to Lazarus after four days in the tomb. We respond to the voice of Christ. The troublesome area is healed. We now possess more "life" in our personality. Has that ever happened to you? Has Christ ever "touched" you like that?

Each of us Christians is dragging around a "body of death." Christ notices our determination to walk in white with Him in spite of the claims of our body, which is dead because of its sinful tendencies.

When Christ returns, our dead body will hear the voice of the Son of God. Our whole body will awaken. Then, if Christ decrees so, our spirit, soul, and body will be filled completely with eternal life. Our whole personality will have the greatest desire to perform the will of God.

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (John 5:26)

Christ is filled with the Life of God. He issues a portion of Divine Life to whomever He will. When eternal Life enters us we are able to overcome sin, the world, the lusts of our flesh, sickness, Satan, and our own pride and self-will. Eternal Life is more powerful than all.

It appears in many instances, "saved" people possess little of the eternal Life that Christ is. The portion of resurrection life they do have is constantly in danger of being choked out by the cares of the world.

The eternal life they possess cannot come under condemnation, because it is the substance and life force of the Lord Jesus, Christ.

The remainder of their untransformed personality still is subject to Divine judgement. It is "covered" because of the work of redemption that has been begun in them. However, it is only the part of them that has "heard" Christ that has passed from death to life and therefore is no longer subject to judgement. It is the new creation that enters the Kingdom of God and is the Kingdom of God.

To believe on Christ means infinitely more than to profess faith in His atonement and resurrection, and then to wait to die and go to Heaven. To believe on Christ, in the redeeming sense, is to count one’s self as dead and to live in and by Christ.

The individual who is crucified with Christ and in whom Christ is living is being judged now. He will suffer in the world so he may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God. If he runs the race according to the rules he finally will attain the first resurrection from among the dead.

The believer who arrives at the "mark" has been made perfect in love. He shall have boldness in the Day of Judgement. He has been baptised in the Divine Fire. He has been judged and purified. He has passed from death to life before his sleeping body is awakened in the Day of the Lord.

This is what Jesus meant when He spoke of those who believe on Him. He was not and is not referring to the average "Christian" of today who is walking in the corruption and death of the flesh and is waiting to be removed from the dealings of the Lord by means of a "rapture." Christ is referring to the spiritual man or woman who is walking in the Spirit of God.

Sometimes the true saints are few in number — just a remnant of Israel.

Christ gave the laws of the Kingdom of God to us. All of the Apostles repeated them in their epistles. These laws are to be kept. Christ by His virtue enables us to keep the laws of the Kingdom, and forgives us when we confess our sins and repent of them. We keep on walking in the light of God’s Presence. We are strictly obedient to Christ.

The concept of walking in Christ is totally different from the current understanding that Divine grace is the overlooking of our sins in the world — a viewpoint that has succeeded in destroying the testimony of the Church of Christ in our time.

If Christ is dwelling in us we are abiding in eternal life. If eternal life is abiding in us the results can be witnessed by the unsaved and by the saved.

The "believer" who is practising the sins of the flesh is not abiding in eternal life nor is eternal life abiding in him. He is abiding in eternal death, in the life of Hell. He is living close to the fire of God’s wrath.

He is not being forgiven because he is not confessing and forsaking his sins. Walking in the lusts of the flesh is not the true Christian life, neither is it the way of eternal life. Any person who claims to be abiding in Christ and is continuing in sin is a liar.

The truth of Christ is not in him.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:4)

Such an individual is dwelling in eternal death while he or she yet is alive physically on the earth professing to be a saint of God.

But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. (I Timothy 5:6)

The true saint acts, speaks, and thinks in a godly, holy manner. He or she is making progress in godliness every day.

Any teaching that is contrary to this is delusion and death. The churches of God, as has been true throughout the Christian Era, are in rebellion against God and are trusting in the teaching and preaching of false apostles. We have made the Word of God of none effect by our traditions.

The day of reckoning is here for the Christian churches.

What is the relationship of our "accepting" Christ to the judgement and recompense that follow the awakening of our physical body from its sleep in the dust of the ground?

Does our assent to the truth of the atonement and resurrection affect the judgement and the recompense to such an extent that they no longer are to be regarded as significant determinants of our destiny? The hastiest review of the writings of the Apostles will reveal they hardly taught that!

Well then, what relationship does the atoning blood of Christ have to the judging and recompensing of the believer in Christ?

He who places his trust in the atoning blood of Christ comes under the protection of the God of Heaven. He is pardoned by the Father. His sins are cast behind God’s back.

He will continue to be protected and pardoned throughout his lifetime on the earth provided he chooses each day to walk prayerfully in God’s will. He cannot go forth sinning wilfully and continue to be protected and pardoned by the Lord.

It is at this point that the author departs from the current tradition. The current tradition holds that the individual who professes belief in Christ will continue to be protected and pardoned whether or not he chooses to walk in God’s will each day. This is how "grace" is being defined by many. We are teaching that this is incorrect.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26,27)

Of whom is the above passage speaking? It is speaking of those who at one time had been sanctified through the blood of Christ and who since that time have continued to sin wilfully.

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29)

All the Apostles of Christ agree with this point of view.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and

Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. (II Peter 2:20)

The human being who rejects Christ initially, who will not receive the benefits of Calvary, will face an angry God in the Day of Judgement.

There is no question whatever about that.

The misunderstanding arises concerning those persons who have joyfully received the Divine pardon.

Do their actions in the world after they have received Christ seriously affect their eternal destinies?

"No," responds the fundamentalist of today. "The Christian shall not reap what he sows because Christ has borne his judgment on the cross."

"Yes," thunder Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, the writer of Hebrews, James, and Jude.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach that human beings are judged and recompensed according to their deeds. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary does not alter the fundamental Kingdom law of sowing and reaping, except that God will forgive our sins when we confess them and truly repent of them in Christ’ name. This concept is altogether different from the current belief that if we profess faith in Christ we will not reap what we sow.

To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: (Romans 2:7)

The difference between those who have heard the Gospel of Christ and those who have not is that those who have heard will be judged with greater strictness.

If people hear the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and do not obey its freely given pardon and also its requirements of discipleship under Christ, they will be judged more severely than those who never heard and yet practice iniquity (Luke 12:47,48).

Greater opportunity (the Gospel of God always is an opportunity) brings greater responsibility. To whom much has been given in the way of Gospel light, much shall be required.

The Christian salvation does not release us from the common obligation on mankind to please God by our conduct. Rather, the Christian salvation forgives us and then sends us on our way rejoicing, now possessing the wisdom and power to overcome the evil in the world.

Every human being, Christian and non-Christian:

A. Will die physically (unless he still is alive physically when Jesus returns and at that time is a victorious saint with "oil in his lamp").

B. Will be "awakened" when he hears the voice of Christ.

C. Will stand before Christ and be made manifest as to his behaviour in the world.

D. Will be recompensed by Christ according to that which the light of Divine judgement reveals concerning his actions while alive on the earth.

Let us consider the recompenses that result from the judgement of the human being, particularly the judgement of the Christian.

At the top of the scale are the hundredfold Christians, relatively few in number. They are the Lord’s "first-fruits." They will be raised to a state of glory incomprehensible to us on earth.

At the bottom of the scale are the lost. This is a fate as dreadful as the recompense of the hundredfold is glorious.

We shall not discuss the question concerning the possibility that a person who has received Christ can ever be lost. Such a discussion is a fruitless theological debate. It appears those who enter it know they are not going to make an effort to overcome sin, and are attempting to assure themselves that they never can be lost.

The overcomer is not attempting to find how close to Hell he can walk and still not topple into the flames. He is seeking God continually to determine how he better can serve Christ.

Those who argue that all Christians will be saved, even if it is only as by fire and with no reward, should consider what it means to be saved as by fire with no reward, no fruit. They are assuming that there is little difference in eternal destiny between the hundredfold overcomer and the believer who has to be plucked from the flames.

The teachers who assure the backsliders that all will be saved if they once have professed Christ should explain to their students the difference in the consequences that flow from the victorious Christian life as distinguished from those that flow from the defeated, weak, indecisive "Christian" life.

It is the difference between the fruit of Abraham and the fruit of Lot. There is a truly awesome difference between the outcome of the victorious, conquering life in Christ and the outcome of a careless, lazy, disobedient life "in Christ" (if we can call it that — Matthew 25:30).

Someone who is trusting that he will be saved regardless of how he behaves might walk so close to Hell that he falls in — as Lot’s wife did, so to speak. Then his teachers will explain to him, as they stand around the edge of the flames and look down at him (being careful not to get too close), "You never were saved in the first place." Those words will be little comfort.

To be lost is to lose hope for eternity. The Creator never again will agree to hear our voice or see our face. He has banished us forever from His holy Presence. He considers us to be unworthy of any further attempts to restore us. He will not deliver or heal us. We are doomed. We are lost!

Our torment never will cease. A billion years from now we still will be abiding in the flames that give no light. Our fellowship will be with Satan, the fallen angels, the demons, Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the utterly depraved, horribly wicked, hideous people of all ages, such as Nero and Hitler. They will be our companions in the Lake of Fire.

Such will be tormented in the flames for eternity.

Among the hundredfold are Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Peter, Paul.

Among the lost are beings of such wickedness that we scarcely can believe any of them actually are human. They are "natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed" (I Peter 2:12). They are "wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 13).

Perhaps there are relatively few individuals who are hundredfold conquerors (although all persons are welcome to the ranks of the overcomer's), and relatively few individuals who are lost — doomed for eternity.

It may be true that most people will be assigned a destiny somewhere between these two extremes.

Traditional Gospel preaching holds out the choice of supreme rulership or eternal torment; the hundredfold or the lost; Abraham or Nero.

Seen in this light, all of the saved receive approximately the same reward. Paul’s "halo" may shine a trifle more brightly than those of the careless "Christians" who live worldly lives. But there is nothing to be concerned about because Paul and the worldly believers are judged and recompensed only on the basis of their doctrinal position.

Do you believe this to be true — that we all will receive approximately the same reward regardless of our consecration to Christ?

Does the Scripture teach that all will receive approximately the same reward in the Kingdom of God?

How much of a difference was there between the salvation of Abraham and the salvation of Lot? Was there any significant difference in their inheritance?— their fruitfulness?

The Scriptures speak of those who will shine as the stars forever.

There are hundredfold, sixtyfold, thirtyfold.

There are some who have no reward but are saved as by fire. What does it mean to be saved "as by fire" (I Corinthians 3:15)? Is that the same thing as being delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (I Corinthians 5:5)?

There are those who will hear, Well done, good and faithful servant! There are others of the Lord’s servants who will hear, Depart from me, you wicked and lazy slave! You wasted my goods!

There are those who are greatest in the Kingdom of God. There are some who are least in the Kingdom of God.

Some persons will be beaten with many lashes; others will be beaten with few lashes.

The Father has designated at least two persons to stand on either side of Christ in His Kingdom.

The work of assisting the immature "sisters of the Bride" is described in the last chapter of the Song of Solomon.

There are the Lord’s "first-fruits," of the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

There were David’s "mighty men," and then the remainder of Israel.

Paul, toward the close of his life, was pressing toward a "mark."

Then we have the Book of Revelation’s marvellous rewards of life and authority that are the consequences of the life of victory in Christ (Chapters Two and Three).

God does not break the "bruised reed" or quench the "smoking flax." Rather, He sends judgement and grace until the weak are led forth in victory.

No kingdom is made up solely of kings. How can there be kings if there are no subjects? The Kingdom of God is an actual kingdom.

Perhaps you will agree with us that the Divine redemption is not limited to producing only the kings and the tormented. There are regions of life between the high thrones and the depths of the Lake of

Fire. The Scriptures do not teach that there is but one level of attainment in the Kingdom of God. One day you and I will stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ. We will be rewarded according to what we have done in our bodies, according to the good and evil we have practiced. Jesus is coming soon. His reward is with Him to give to every person the wages he has earned.

What is your choice? Thirtyfold? Sixtyfold? A Hundredfold?

Will Jesus address you as a friend and faithful servant, or will you be met with a frown and expressions of disappointment or even anger in that Day?

Is your conduct leading you toward praise and blessings or is it bringing you to rebuke and punishment?

Are you in danger of being led away into outer darkness?

The Holy Spirit seems to be speaking to us that the issues we are presenting in this Foreword are far more serious than we have realized. A spirit of lightness and unwarranted optimism have pervaded the Christian churches.

The spirit of lightness and assurance concerning the things of the Kingdom of God is not in line with such apostolic expressions as "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"; "the righteous scarcely be saved"; "how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"; "knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."

If we are correct in our understanding, the churches of Christ around the world are facing a severe chastening. Much blood will be spilled. Christian people will become aware Gospel preaching over the past several years has not been acceptable to God as to the witness that has been borne. The call to repentance is too weak. The goodness of God is being emphasized but the severity of God is being concealed.

The believers will not be "raptured" out of this chastening, because the chastening is for their salvation. Were Christ to return now, it seems likely that a mere handful of believers would be prepared to dwell in the fire of His Presence.

The churches are not ready for Christ’s return. The world is not ready for Christ’s return. First must come unprecedented glory and unprecedented tribulation. Much will be accomplished by the glory and also by the suffering. Best of all, the Bride of the Lamb will be separated from the worldly churches and will be purified, thus being made ready for Her Lord.

The Scriptures are true.

It is time now for all persons everywhere to repent, especially the Christian people, because Jesus is coming soon. In fact, the Judge now is at the door of our hearts. If we will allow Him entrance into our heart He will purify us so we can offer an offering in the righteousness, love, and holiness that the Lord requires.

Christ will be made the Centre of every creature and every thing in the universe. He must become central in His Church. God will insure that Christ is made the Centre of attention in His Church. It will require the flames of Divine judgement to bring this about. Man is at the centre of the churches of today.

You and I can walk with God in the present hour. We can overcome the world. We can, through Christ, become a hundredfold conqueror. Let’s do it.