Herbert W Armstrong

What's happened to those who have died? Are they still alive someplace? Are they conscious? What about your own relatives, you, those you call your loved ones? Where are they? And what about those who have died, as they say, unsaved? Is there hope for them? And where are they? Is there life after death, or does this life just end, or do we have eternal life already?

Some people seem to think we do. They, they know other people die right along, but most people seem to think, well, it isn't going to happen to me, at least not now. And they don't like to think about it. So they shove it aside. But it is a pointed to all man once to die, and everybody, except the few, and there's nobody living over, say, 100, there's nobody living is old, is 150 years of age right now, nobody on this earth. And I may say so, there are not many people living on the face of this earth today, much older than I am. Not very many.

They talk, however, those in Christianity and in the churches, on the air, in religious broadcasts. You find they're speaking about this life in this world, this world of Satan's, and how to live in this world, this world of Satan. Some of them say, of course you need Christ in your life, but that's only for this life. And they don't talk about a life after this life. They don't seem to go into that matter. They don't talk about the World Tomorrow, and that is the title of this program, The World Tomorrow. What about that? Does that have anything to do with the Christian religion? Does that have anything to do with your life?

I want you to know what the Apostle Paul said in a letter written to the church in Corinth way back there in the very first century, over 1900, about 1950 years ago. It's in I Corinthians 15 and verse 19 (I Corinthians 15:19). He said, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." If in this life only. And he goes on to say, if that's all there is to it, in just this life, that those who have died are perished and you will perish and you have no hope whatsoever.

I would like you to notice just a moment what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi over in Philippians chapter three and verse 11 (Philippians 3:11). He was writing, "and if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead, not as though I already had attained, either were already perfect. But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before, I press onward toward the mark of the high calling of Christ Jesus." What is that high calling? Why do you live? What does Christianity mean? What did Christ come for? What does religion mean? And why is there any need of it? We need to understand those things. People take so much for granted. They don't understand.

What about those who have died unsaved? Where are they now? And what has happened to them? In Hebrews, the ninth chapter and verse 27 (Hebrews 9:27), you will read, "as it is appointed unto man once to die, after this, the judgment." So there is a judgment it's after you die. Now, does that mean that people are judged while they're dead? No, it does not. And I want to go on and give you other scriptures that show precisely what it is. It's appointed to all men once to die, but after that death the judgment. Now, turn right back where we were a moment ago, I Corinthians 15 and in verse 22 (I Corinthians 15:22), we read, "for as in Adam, all die." Now all die in Adam. It's appointed to all man once to die. You can't avoid it. The most certain thing in life is death.

But you know, those who have died and been brought back by CPR or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I heard a documentary just recently where it concerned many who have been brought back in that way. And I'm one of them, incidentally, and it was stated that not one of them fears death any longer. And let me tell you, I do not fear death because I was as dead as I will ever be, except the human spirit in me had not left, but my breath had stopped. My heart had stopped beating, there was no pulse, there was no blood pressure whatsoever. My heart was not beating for some little time. I don't know how long it was. I was unconscious. I didn't know anything about it except what they told me later. But I came back. Now notice, "for as in Adam, all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive."

Going back to what I said just a minute ago, you know, I thought about that time and again, did I really die? I was not what would be called scientifically dead. Not until the doctor pronounced me dead and no doctor did that. But nurses brought me back. They happened to be there at the time and they got busy on me very quickly, and they said things were quite active there for a while until they brought me back to breathing again.

I can tell you though, I didn't go to heaven or hell. I didn't know anything. I only knew what they told me later. I didn't know when it happened. I didn't know anything about it. And that might be interesting to you. I haven't mentioned that before. I just happened to think about it while I'm talking to you here now. But I want you to notice here again as in Adam, all die, you and I and all are going to die in Adam, even though when Christ comes at the second coming, the dead in Christ will be raised first. And those in the church that are really converted and have the Holy Spirit of God will be changed in the moment in the twinkling of an eye from mortal to immortal. But that will be an instantaneous death and resurrection. It will be an instantaneous death and resurrection. It will happen so fast. They won't know that it happened probably. But nevertheless, I think that technically, we would have to say it would be a death and then life will start at the same instant as in Adam. All die so in Christ shall all be made alive. Now, more about that a little later.

However, let's go back to verse 19 again (I Corinthians 15:19), if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. Now in Romans one verse four (Romans 1:4), I want to read you what, what we find here. Speaking about Christ, it speaks here concerning God's Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, a Son of God by a resurrection.

Now, let's leave out the little intervening clauses that are merely describing part of it and get the real sentence as you would diagram it. And the actual sentence here is Christ, our Lord declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. And he is called the firstborn of many brethren in the eighth chapter of Romans. And that's Romans eight and verse 29 (Romans 8:29), where it says that he might be Christ might be the firstborn of many brethren.

Many people talk about being born again. They don't understand what they're talking about. Many people who might have been begotten of God but not yet born. You know, a fetus in his mother's womb is begotten of its father but has not yet been born. The birth hasn't taken place yet and we may be begotten of God and may become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ to inherit everything that God has given over to Christ. And that is everything there is because everything has been given over to Christ. And those in Christ are co-heirs with him, but they're only heirs now, not possessors, not inheritors yet, not yet, not actually born of God yet, already sons of God, but as yet unborn. Now, Jesus was born by a resurrection from the dead. And that is the way we shall be born where there's an instantaneous death and resurrection at the second coming of Christ, or the resurrection of those who have died and are brought back to life for as in Adam, all die.

So, in Christ shall all be made alive and it's appointed to all men once to die. And after that, the judgment and so many are going to, as a matter of fact, all who die in Adam and we do die in Adam. The first Adam and Christ was called the second Adam. The first Adam was physical. The second Adam is spiritual, but all will be made alive in the second Adam, Christ. But I want to read you a little more about that now, let's get back to that, now, Romans 15 and I'd like to go back to verse 12 (I Corinthians 15:12).

Now, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, I'll say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead. At that time, there were those who were claiming among the Jews, the Sadducees were claiming that there is no resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ taught there is a resurrection. The apostle Paul was teaching it. And that is the gospel of Jesus Christ that is in the message that Jesus himself preached. But some were believing that up in the church at Corinth. And Paul said, if Christ be preached, that he rose from the dead, I'll say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, if he did not rise from the dead, as the first one to be resurrected from the dead, the firstborn as we read in Romans eight of many brethren (I Corinthians 15:14), then is our preaching vain and your faith is vain.

Yeah, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he rose from the dead whom he raised not if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not then is not Christ risen. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, you are yet in your sins. Now continuing verse 18 (I Corinthians 15:18-20), then they which also are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. Then continuing what I did read a while ago. If in this life only we have faith in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. The firstborn of many brethren.

He his resurrection came first, not down to verse 22 (I Corinthians 15:22-23), For as in Adam all die even so in Christ, the same all going back to Adam Cain and Abel and the first humans that ever were ever were born and even Adam who the first created. But every man in his own order, there will be an order of resurrections, Christ, the first fruits that happened 1950 years ago and more over 1950 years ago, Christ, the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ at his coming. Now who are Christ, those who have the Holy Spirit, Romans eight and verse nine (Romans 8:9).

If you have not the spirit of Christ dwelling in you, you are not his, you are not a Christian. I don't care how many churches you belong to. I don't know what you don't care what you profess. I mean, regardless of what you profess, it makes no difference unless God's spirit is dwelling in you. Unless you are being led by the spirit of God in your life. You are none of his. And it's only those who are Christ's, every man in his order, then those that are Christ's and his coming and then cometh the end.

And that's at the end of 1000 years. And you have to go back to Revelation 20 to see what is going to happen then and then there will be a resurrection to judgment of all of those who died and all of those who died unsaved, even they died in Adam, they shall be raised through Christ that doesn't mean raised immortal, but raised to judgment. And there will be a great judgment called the Great White Throne judgment that you read of in the 20th chapter of the Book of Revelation.

And that is described of ancient Israel, but it will happen to everyone who ever died, Gentiles as well as Israelites is described back in the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, of how they will come back to mortal life, all who died. Then their minds will be open to the truth which they never did have in this life. Then they will be judged according to their works. And I can tell you now that sin is the transgression of the law and death is the penalty of transgression. The wages of sin is death. And that sentence, death will be passed on all of them that will be passed on your loved ones who were unsaved. But now listen and listen a minute to the better news. They will then be told that Jesus Christ came and died.

And it's over 1950 years ago now to pay their penalty in their stead and their penalty will be eternal death for all eternity. But they will have a chance to be then given immortal life. And that will be the time when it is prophesized in the second chapter of Joel that God will be pouring out his spirit on all flesh and they will have a chance on acceptance of Christ and on repentance of what they did and how they did live in this life to receive the spirit of God, they will be given a certain amount of time and there is reason to believe it may be 100 years. Although that particular scripture in the 65th chapter of Isaiah is subject to a different translation, but there will be a time if they then live a righteous life if they have repented, and if they live in a way that they could enjoy eternal life, they will have eternal life and then they will be turned, change from mortal to immortality and they shall still even yet at that time have salvation.

The purpose of God is beyond finding out. I want to tell you that, the world knows so little. They don't understand the purpose of God. They don't understand the master plan by which he is working out that purpose. There is so little understood now about those things here on the earth.

Now let's get back again to the 15th chapter of I Corinthians. I want to just read some of it because you hear so little about a resurrection. You hear so little about the world tomorrow. You know, we're living in a world started by Adam, Adam disobeyed God. Adam made the wrong choice. He chose to take the knowledge of good and evil or spiritual knowledge to himself. He took to himself, spiritual knowledge of right and wrong and the way he took it, he took that the way of right is get, that the way of right was vanity, lust, and greed, jealousy and envy toward other people. And just getting for himself and vanity. I love me more than I love you. In other words. And his sons were not educated in any other way and God closed up the Holy Spirit at that time, and God's spirit was closed and the nations have not had a chance to really come to the knowledge and the truth of God.

This is not the time God is trying to save the world, but this world was founded on Adam. It is a materialistic world and it is a world that has a wrong spiritual concept of what is right and wrong. It is a world that is based on get and not on give. And God's law. God's way of life is the way of give the way of love out flowing love, love to God, love to neighbor. And that is again codified in the 10 commandments. The first four tell you how to love God. And the last six tell you how to love neighbor. But the world doesn't believe in that organized Christianity doesn't believe in that, organized Christianity tries to tell you falsely that the law was done away. The law of God is the law of love. The 10 commandments are no spiritual law and they're a law of love, but they don't want to accept it and they're not accepted in organized Christianity. And sin is the transgression of that law and Jesus Christ himself said, except you repent and of sin, which is the transgression of that law. You shall all likewise perish. And there's so much preaching about Jesus, but they don't preach his message, his gospel, which he did preach and which he proclaimed, they simply do not preach that.

Now, getting back to I Corinthians again, let me go a little further now on over to verse 45 (I Corinthians 15:45-55). And so it is written, the first man, Adam was made a living soul that is a living. The Hebrew word was neish, which just means a physical body, breathing air with a heart pumping blood does not mean anything spiritual at all. The first man was made mortal. The second, the last Adam or Christ. The second Adam was made a quickening or a life-giving spirit, howbeit that was not first, which is spiritual, but that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man was of the earth, earthy. The second man is the Lord from heaven, that's Jesus Christ.

Adam started this world, this world was started under the influence of Satan the devil. This world is Satan's world. It was based on Adam. It's a world based on materialism. It is a world that has produced awesome materialistic advances and what we call mistakenly progress, but a world of regression and a world of going backwards, spiritually, a world of appalling evils and troubles and heartaches and sufferings of every kind of violence, of war, of poverty, of everything wrong and every evil, but, as is the earthy such are they also that are earthy and as heavenly such are they that are heavenly. In other words, they will be composed of spirit, but no one is going to be composed of spirit until he gets so sick and tired of this world in its evil ways and its ideas of right and wrong, which are altogether selfish and self-centered and loving each one, his own self, but feeling envy and jealousy and hostility, competition against others and strife. And as we have borne the image of the earth in this worldly life, we, we always means those in the church, we in God's church who have his spirit shall bear the image of the heavenly.

Now this I say to you, brethren, Paul wrote, that flesh and blood, which we are now in mortal bodies, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall all be changed, all be changed when in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last Trump for the Trump shall sound and the dead in Christ shall be raised incorruptible. And we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on incorruption, in a resurrection and in another life and a life living another way and not transgressing the law of God any longer or the commandments of God. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death. Where is thy sting O grave? Where is thy victory? And finally, all will be happiness. Satan, the devil will be gone. He will not be around this earth any longer and there will be no mortal humans. But of those billions, I think there will be even some billions of them that will be finally made immortal and have eternal life. And there is great hope even for the loved ones you have had who have died as you think unsaved, they're going to have to come to a judgment that will be brought back to life in a resurrection. They'll have to make their own decision then. But there won't be any devil around, there won't be a world leading them the wrong way. All the influences will be the right way. And I believe personally that most of them are going to make the right decision and that there is going to be salvation of billions. God's purpose is he is reproducing himself and his purpose stands, it will not fail. And well, I could just say you can bet your life on it because you are betting your life on it anyway and it will happen because the word of God is absolutely sure.

Now I want to offer you a booklet. What is the Reward of the Saved? Is it going to heaven or is it roasting in hell or what or what about the reward of the wicked? Maybe that's going to hell. You need to read this. What is the Reward of the Saved? I haven't offered that booklet for a long time. It's absolutely free. We don't ask for money, no request for money except to, I'd like to send you this booklet. That's the only request. And then I want, if you're not a subscriber to the Plain Truth, as many, many of you are the Plain Truth now, one of the world's great mass circulation magazines of circulation monthly of over now, 5,400,000 every month copies.

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